Declaring someone “persona non grata” has become the political equivalent of a social media unfollow—dramatic, public, and utterly meaningless.

Despite the fuss, legal minds know these resolutions lack real teeth.

Rendon Labador and Rosmar can still sip piña coladas in Coron without a hitch. No local immigration officers are waiting to block them at the airport, and no one is checking lists at disembarking gates in Palawan.

Drag artist Pura Luka, despite the grand proclamations, is as free as ever to sashay her way back into town.

This spectacle is all about publicity—a theatrical display for the easily impressed. So, let’s all relax and enjoy the show. After all, these declarations are less about enforcement and more about creating a headline or two, proving once again that in politics, perception often trumps reality.