Castro defends Vice Ganda’s ‘jetski holiday’ parody, Rigo Duterte calls it ‘desperate for relevance’

From left: A composite photo of Palace press officer Claire Castro, Vice Ganda and acting Davao vice mayor Rigo Duterte. ARCHIVE

Philippine Palace Press Officer Claire Castro has come to the defence of comedian and host Vice Ganda over his controversial “jetski holiday” parody, while Acting Davao City Vice Mayor Rodrigo “Rigo” Duterte II has branded the joke as “attention-seeking” but denied any move to ban the entertainer from the city. Vice drew criticism from supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte after the August 8 skit during his Super Divas concert with Regine Velasquez at the Araneta Coliseum. Wearing a pink wig and sparkly leotard, Vice pranced on stage with dancers holding a “Jetski Holiday” banner, mocking Duterte’s 2016 campaign pledge to ride a jet ski to the West Philippine Sea. “Nothing beats a jet ski holiday… get unlimited water bombing from Chinese vessels and a free trip to The Hague by the ICC. Promo applies to DDS (Diehard Duterte Supporters) only. Pinklawans and BBMs are prohibited,” Vice said during the segment, before ending with an expletive-laden quip aimed at critics. Rigo Duterte dismissed talk of declaring Vice persona non grata, saying the city council “has far more important matters to attend to than entertaining baseless, attention-seeking antics from performers desperate for relevance.” He added: “The dignity and pride of Dabawenyos are not for sale and certainly not for comedy fodder.” Castro, meanwhile, argued in a YouTube video that the parody was grounded in Duterte’s own words and should not be taken as fabricated slander. “This is not a made-up story or a joke. This came from former President Duterte himself, so don’t be offended, DDS,” she said. She further criticised Duterte’s supporters for what she called selective outrage, pointing to instances where members of the Duterte family had insulted others. “You insult the president, and you call yourselves decent? Then Vice Ganda uses a parody based on what the former president said, and you get upset,” Castro said. Vice President Sara Duterte said she had not yet seen the skit, reiterating that any declaration of persona non grata in Davao City would require a majority vote from the council. The controversy has sparked fierce debate online, with some netizens accusing Vice of crossing the line and others defending it as satire. Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque also weighed in, accusing Vice of “kicking someone who was already down”. Vice Ganda, whose Facebook page recently dropped from 20 million to 19 million followers amid the backlash, has yet to issue a formal statement. CAM/Expat Media