What if you could become an OFW without actually leaving the Philippines? That’s what it feels like anyway when you spend the same hours stuck in traffic as you would on a plane ride to Hong Kong. But the “United States of Makati” trend turns the familiar experience of working in one of Metro Manila’s biggest business cities into a fictional overseas experience.

What sparked the trend?

The “United States of Makati” is a social media trend that humorously portrays Makati as a foreign country, with its workers jokingly presenting themselves as Filipinos who have “left” the Philippines to work abroad. The joke comes complete with its own fictional identity: “Makati dollars,” “Makatinese,” work visas, citizenship, and even an airport.

The trend began gaining traction around July to August 2026, when social media users started posting about working in Makati and jokingly referring to themselves as OFWs. OFW, which traditionally stands for Overseas Filipino Workers, was given new meanings such as “Onsite Filipino Workers” and “Overworked Filipino Workers.” This was followed by jokes about “Visa-Free Makati,” framing the business district as an accessible travel destination for Filipinos.

However, TikTok creator @nickxploration is among the early creators widely associated with popularizing the “OFW in Makati” format. In one of his videos, he documented a day in his life as a Makati worker with the prompt, “left the Philippines to work in Makati.”

From there, the joke developed into its own fictional universe, eventually turning Makati into the imaginary “United States of Makati.” The city was given its own Makati Dollars currency, Makatinese language, work visas, Glorietta airport, and MRT transportation system, basically exaggerating the things that make Makati recognizable to Filipinos.

How are people hopping on the trend?

The humor of the trend comes from taking something extremely ordinary and familiar, like working or spending time in Makati, and presenting it as an international migration experience. Filipino workers began posting about their daily routines as though they were experiences of someone living in an entirely different country.

Some of the prompts used by Filipinos in their videos are: “Working in United States of Makati to support my family in LA (Lower Antipolo)”, “POV: Your Makati work visa got approved”, “To be young and working in United States of Makati”

The joke became so recognizable that even Tourism Philippines joined the conversation with its own humorous take: “No visa, no problem!” The post invited audiences to “pack your bags,” bring their “Makati dollars,” and learn “Makatinese” for their next urban adventure. The social cards then highlighted actual things visitors can experience in the city, including gallery hopping, weekend markets, cafés, city lights, and nightlife.

Why is it effective?

Beyond getting people to laugh, the post demonstrates how brands and tourism organizations can turn a social media trend into an effective place-marketing strategy.

The trend’s biggest strength is its exaggeration. Instead of simply saying, “Visit Makati for its beautiful buildings, streets, markets, and nightlife,” the post presents the city as if it were an entirely different country. By building on a joke that audiences already understand, the promotional message becomes more entertaining and, consequently, more shareable. It sells the experience without immediately feeling like an advertisement.

This strategy isn’t limited to humorous trends used to promote a place. Audiences are more likely to engage with content that entertains them than with content that simply tells them what they should buy, visit, or experience. In today’s social media landscape, brands can use trends to speak the internet’s language and make their promotional messages feel more organic.

After all, the value of trend-based marketing lies in understanding the culture surrounding a trend rather than trying to make the trend entirely about the brand. The best brand participation feels like a natural extension of the joke that gives people a reason to laugh, comment, share, and even add to the story themselves.

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