@Ignatius
You have a very good observation. I think it started in the 90’s when the new generation then was using “siya” as a pronoun for things and animals which is grammatically wrong. I agree it is really irritating! Probably because there are so many dialects in the Philippines that somehow people don’t really put emphasis on how to use Tagalog correctly. (On the contrary, Filipinos are very conscious to use correct grammar and pronunciation in English.)
Anyway, what I notice lately is the use of “Si” which is an article(?) for humans.
Like,
Si Carlos ay pumunta sa Mall. - Carlos went to the Mall.
The "si" is correctly used in this sentence referring to Carlos (person).
However, I often hear them say,
"Si Mall hindi siya pinapasok kasi wala siyang mask." Wrong because Mall is not a person to use the article "si". It should be,
"Hindi siya pinapasok sa Mall kasi wala siyang mask." Correct. This means,
"He was not all allowed to enter the Mall because he did not have (was not wearing) a mask."