‘Ice cream yummy’ fills the tummy: Filipino dads, grandmas become TikTok influencers

By The Straits Times | Created at 2025-01-03 21:32:52 | Updated at 2025-01-05 20:43:19 1 day ago
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Letter from Manila

Mara Cepeda

Filipino content creator Efren Palines, known as Tatay Peng, performs his signature "Ice cream yummy" dance move during a live stream on Tiktok on December 4, 2024.

Filipino content creator Efren Palines, known as Tatay Peng, performs his signature "Ice cream yummy" dance move.ST PHOTO: MARA CEPEDA

MANILA – If you come across 54-year-old Efren Palines on the street, you’d think he was your typical tough guy – tattooed biceps, a basketball cap worn backwards, and a face that has seen its share of hard times.

But put him in front of a phone camera, and you get Philippine TikTok’s most unlikely live-streaming star. His “Ice cream yummy” dance – where he sways his hips with his hands clasped behind his neck as he blurts out catchy phrases – has turned this macho man into a viral sensation.

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