By Aira Miranda
 
Actress-singer and vlogger Donnalyn Bartolome garnered different reactions as she celebrated her 28th birthday with a unique "Kanto-themed" birthday party.
 
Bartolome posted a video titled "MY KANTO BIRTHDAY PARTY (SHOT PUNO!!)" on YouTube detailing her quirky birthday celebration.
 
Jeepneys, tricycles, and pedicabs were seen on the video that transported guests to the event location. They were greeted by Filipino street foods such as tokneneng and isaw. There were also classic Filipino drinks.
 
Among the invited guests were celebrities and internet personalities, including Ella Cruz, Andre Paras, Richard Juan, Mikee Quintos, Paul Salas, Awra Briguela, Zeinab Harake, Jelai Andres, Baninay Bautista, and Asian Cutie Albert Nicolas.

Bartolome explained that her birthday theme was a means for her to relive a specific moment from her early days as a singer and performer.
 
"The simplest yet happiest birthday I've had. My kanto birthday party is not just a concept, this was my life when I left home abroad where my life was comfortable… but you won't be able to reach your dreams by being comfortable. That's why when I left home to work here in the Philippines, I wasn't expecting, even though it was difficult, that it would be one of my life's adventures I would never forget," the 'Kakaibabe' singer wrote on Facebook.
 

Fans quickly expressed their support for Bartolome and greeted her on her birthday.
 
"Happy birthday simple and beautiful Donalyn Bartolome," a comment on YouTube read.
 
"This is the kind of birthday I want to see, kind of simple, usually celebrities' birthdays are so fancy," a Facebook user commented.
 
"This is a reminder that celebrities are also human and they had once come from nothing and worked hard to achieve what they have today," another said.
 
Some people, on the other hand, criticized the vlogger for her use of the "kanto-theme."
 
"Birthdays in "kantuhans" are not "themed-parties," it's a way of life for ordinary Filipinos, so what she did is problematic," a netizen commented on Twitter.
 
"What's wrong with Donnalyn's kanto-themed birthday party is that it proliferates classism amongst the Filipinos," a commenter said.
 
"What's worse here is that people don't recognize her poverty porn contents as problematic and insensitive. When poor people celebrate, may angel's burger at coke sa mesa, pinagtatawan sa Facebook (When poor people celebrate with angel's burger and coke on the table, others make fun of them on Facebook.). But when Donnalyn does it, she's empathetic with the poor?" another Twitter user noted.
 
Bartolome recently apologized for her controversial 'baby' themed photoshoot last month for her 28th birthday, which was also criticized online.
 
As of writing, her "kanto" birthday party vlog has garnered 3.8 million views on her official YouTube account. She currently has four million followers on the platform.