Around this time last year, Forbes Magazine declared LeBron James a billionaire. Tonight something on Facebook made my spidey sense tingle. Nothing gets me more enraged when I see a billionaire allegedly exploited. Is Taco Bell Philippines using the name , image and likeness of LBJ without his consent? This billionaire advocate seeks to ask some questions if this is just some misunderstanding or participation in the pinoy tradition of “palusot “. The term is defined as ” getting away with; dodging.”
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LeBron does not sell Taco Bell in the US , do you really think he is making an exception in the Philippines?
It should be noted that the franchisee of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Dairy Queen in the Philippines is PPI Holdings which is under the Araneta Group. The poster couple of this mighty conglomerate as far as we are concerned here in Get Real Philippines are Mrs. and Mr. Korina Sanchez. Mar Roxas is to Philippine politics as Zsa Zsa Gabor is to Hollywood films. He failed to get elected in 2010, 2016 and 2020. Korina believes that a journalist’s job is to debate CNN journalists on the performance of her husband. I did once admit however that I myself hold a torch for her.
Does LBJ endorse any Taco Bell products ?
Taco Bell Philippines in their Facebook page as well as their ads have LeBron holding a taco. There is no evidence that the taco he is holding was prepared by anybody officially affiliated with Taco Bell. I did some searches looking for any kind of business relationship between Taco Bell and LeBron James and let’s just say it was like looking for any kind of Noynoy political accomplishment pre 2009.
Is that taco even made by Taco Bell in any way, shape or form?
What does exist is an idealogical collaboration between the fast food chain and the face of the NBA. Taco Bell has petitioned since 1989 that restaurant chain Taco John’s should have no proprietary rights to the two words “Taco Tuesday”. In May of this year LeBron took up the same fight. Let me stress again that neither Taco Bell or LeBron are looking for any compensation, damages or licensing. It seems they want “Taco Tuesday” to belong to the world. There is this commercial which has the Taco Bell trademark bell sound and LeBron being bleeped. It is all about the name and nowhere does he specifically shill any Taco Bell products. The James family in the privacy of their own home even made this video.
Does LBJ endorse any Taco Bell products ?
LeBron has so many business interests and one of them happens to be Blaze Pizza. This article claims that his one million dollar investment in 2012 grew to 35 million in 2017. This article says that LeBron was allegedly forbidden from officially associating with any chain restaurants when he endorsed McDonald’s. I find it hard to believe that between his financial success with Blaze Pizza and not endorsing any kind of Taco Bell products in the US that he would have a special deal with Taco Bell Philippines. Will these posts that I captured from their Facebook page remain in their orginal form? All I do is ask questions from what I see on mass media. Maybe Taco Bell Philippines has a right to use LeBron James in their ads despite documented behavior of LeBron that seems to suggest otherwise. The cynical side of me always reverts to the old axiom that KSP is the root of all evil. Just like this photoshop that LeBron endorsed the Philippines as a tourist destination. Pinoys are the only culture in the world with basketball myopia and that is why LeBron has been involved in doctored pictures and inserted in local ads. In a similar fashion Mar Roxas himself never corrected the myth that he earned a Master’s Degree from Wharton. Only true yellow zombies can believe for a second that a billionaire who happens to be active in a team sport endorsed Taco Bell Philippines which earns infinitely less than the Taco Bell chain where they originated from.
Taco John’s apparently has no pull in this side of the world.
The cause that Taco Bell is behind is over thirty years old. A cause that LeBron happens to believe in.
Putting a very sharp needle into the balloon known as Pinoy Pride since 2012.
That American junk “food” is disgusting. Why are Pilipinos so addicted to that crap?
That’s why Pilipinos have huge amounts of diabetes, strokes, obesity, high blood pressure. When will they pilipinos wean themselves from American trash?
You make it sound like Filipinos eat healthy with indigenous food. Yeah , hotdog with sweet spaghetti is definitely health food. Your typical pinoy restaurant , that is healthy food. Pinoys eat American junk food but they do a good job eating junk of their own doing.
You’re correct—clarify, Their “indigenous” food is unhealthy and disgusting too—a hodge podge of Mexican/us empire/Spanish/oriental influences to create filipinized swill. Sugar, fake, carbs, fake, fat, fake-swill. Lowest IQ of Asia and massive % of type 2 diabetes, strokes, obesity, high blood pressure etc etc
So who do we blame for Lebron’s image landing on the Taco Bell ads Korina? Mar? The yellow zombies? The Philippines?
You know what, let just all blame the Filipinos for they love basketball so much that they will do “traditional palusot” just because they can.
What’s next, truth in advertising do not exist exists in the Philippines because Filipinos cheat in the name of basketball? 😄😄😄