'Shimenet': The new term going viral online

MANILA, Philippines — The term "shimenet" is making the rounds on the internet as Filipinos poke fun at the ongoing budget deliberations at the House of Representatives.

"Shimenet" originated from the budget hearing of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) at the House of Representatives last Tuesday, August 27, attended by Vice President Sara Duterte.

Deliberations on the OVP's 2025 budget were a hot topic following the similar hearings in the Senate, highlighted by the inquiries of Sen. Risa Hontiveros about the children's book Duterte supposedly authored "Isang Kaibigan."

Such tensions carried over to House hearing when House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas (Gabriela) brought up the issue of the OVP spending P125 million worth of confidential funds back in 2022.

Duterte pointed out the issue was being discussed by the Supreme Court, which led to Brosas asking further about it given they are public funds.

"Everyone has the right to know about these. It's a matter of public interest. We are asking for transparency and accountability," Brosas said.

The vice president responded, "She may not like my answer. She may not like how I answer. She may not like the content of my answer, but I am answering."

However, Filipinos noticed that Duterte's pronunciation of "she may not" sounded like "shimenet," and that spawned dozens of memes and humorous edits online.

Here a few "shimenet" posts by social media users on Facebook and X, formerly Twitter:

SHIMENET

shimi shimenet ???? pic.twitter.com/aPEbrisKg6

Dami kong tawa, around 125M ????

shimenet shiminet layk swalalala pic.twitter.com/O1tFrEjDV8

RELATED:  OVP budget hearing descends into chaos as Sara Duterte, House members trade insults