2078 (Pugad Baboy Story Arc) - Cultural References

Cultural References

• One of Pol Medina, Jr.'s running gags involves the contention that Chinese businessmen would soon own everything in the country, hence the inclusion of Tan Yu and his family in this story arc. Tan Yu is a very successful if reclusive businessman born of Chinese immigrants from Fujian. He made his first million at only eighteen years of age and is now considered to be one of Asia's richest men with properties in the Philippines, Taiwan, China and the United States. His daughter, Emilia "Bien-Bien" Roxas, runs Tan Yu's main company, Asia Internationale Group.
• Gilbert C. Yu and Willie C. Yu are the founders of G&W Architects, Engineers, Project Development Consultants, an architectural firm established in 1971 and responsible for the construction of over 1000 buildings.
• References to science-fiction films are abound in the 2078 story arc. Aside from the Star Wars Taxx Vader and Chewbaboy spoofs, an Imperial Stormtrooper could barely be seen in one of the panels. RoboCop is also present in another panel.
• The fact that 2078 Manila is swarming with flyovers is a stab at the Aquino administration's construction of the EDSA Shrine fly-over during the early 1990s.
• Chewbaboy's revelation of Arabs working as contract employees is a "reversal" of Overseas Filipino Workers often going to jobs in the Middle East and Japan.
• In a strip immediately preceding 2078 in PB5, an author's note reveals that the Pugad Baboy gang went to 2078 on the day of the 1992 Philippine presidential elections and came back one week later in real time. Dagul claims to Doc Sebo that they were gone for several weeks.