"May bibe na ba lahat?" 

The Department of Education on Friday said it sees no problem with students or even teachers wearing duck hair clips after the fashion accessory became a hit among Filipinos.

DepEd deputy spokesman Francis Bringas said he also bought his own duck hair clip in Binondo recently. 

"It's just a fad. It’s a hair accessory, siguro it won’t hurt the class kung meron extra accessory sa ulo. I don’t think it will bothersome for many," he said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview. 

Even teachers can wear the duck hair clips, Bringas said, which he said is no different to hair ribbons or headbands. 

"The teacher is the bigger motivator in the classroom...If he or she finds it really appropriate to get the learners to pay attention, so be it," the spokesperson added. 

The origins of the hair clip trend can be traced back to China in 2015, where it first gained traction. However, it wasn't ducks that adorned heads but rather bean sprouts or small plants.

In the Philippines, it first gained popularity in Baguio City in 2023 before spreading like wildfire nationwide.

A professor of popular culture at the University of the Philippines Diliman said the popularity of hair duck clips shows the bandwagon syndrome among Filipinos.

"Kung anong uso, gaya-gaya tayo, meron tayong bandwagon syndrome na tinatawag. Ayaw nating maiwan," Dr. Jimmuel Naval, dean of the UP College of Arts and Letters, said.

The bandwagon syndrome can also be seen not just in fashion but in other fads such as food. 

"Nung araw hindi naman tayo umiinom ng kape. Ngayon, may Starbucks. (Di naman tayo umiinom ng) tea na may gatas, ngayon may milk tea," he said. 

He said fads usually fade after 3 to 6 months. In the case of the duck hair clips, he noted that a lot of people are earning from the fashion craze. 

"Maraming kumikita rito, parang small scale ito, parang underground economy. Sana hindi mawala, sana hindi magsawa 'yung mga tao. Bahagi na 'yan ng buhay ng mga Pilipino. Atsaka hindi naman kamahalan," he said.