From 'bibe' to 'bebe,' couple's 'monthsary' leftover ends up as beloved pet

MANILA, Philippines — When Matthew Rosa of Carrascal, Surigao del Sur heard chirping from his cabinet, he expected to find a rat, not his girlfriend’s monthsary gift come to life.

Days before, Stephanie Joy Ladroma had bought a tray of uncooked balut ahead of her and Matthew's fourth monthsary.

"Malapit na po kasi ang monthsary namin kaya po naplanohan po namin na balut ang aming ihanda. Tapos po, di ako nag-expect isang tray na hindi pa luto na balut pala yung binili ni Steph," Matthew said.

He then cooked all but two of the eggs, which he placed into a cabinet to save for later.

It didn’t take a week before the tweeting began.

Matthew traced the noise to his cabinet and recalled the eggs. Upon inspection, one of the ducklings had survived, peeking out of its shell which Matthew helped crack.

"Na-surprise po ako at na-excite. Pero noong malapit na po siyang ma-fully hatch, natakot po ako sa paa nya dahil para pong dinosaur,” Matthew recalled in a viral post.

The aptly-named "Balot" was then shipped to Stephanie as a monthsary "surprise" a day after it hatched.

She has since cared for the nearly four-month-old duckling, whose adventures with its loving family are documented on the couple's official Facebook page.

A couple from Carrascal, Surigao del Sur celebrated their monthsary with a tray of balut. Five days later, a chirping sound was heard from the cabinet where two of the eggs were kept — One of the baluts made it out alive! pic.twitter.com/0niCiAOG4I

— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) September 29, 2020

— With reports from The STAR