HOUSE Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio came to the defense of host-comedian Vice Ganda amid attacks from Duterte Diehard Supporters (DDS) over a “jet ski holiday” skit performed at a concert.
“Satire is a form of entertainment but also a form of protest. Don’t they get that?” Tinio said.
He accused Duterte supporters of double standards, saying they cry foul only when jokes are directed at them. “Ang hirap kasi sa mga Duterte at supporters nila ay mga pikon. Kapag sila ang nagmumura, nananakot o nanindak, hyperbole daw o joke lang. Pero kapag sa kanila ginawa ay bumubula ang bibig,” he said.
Tinio pointed out that the skit was legitimate political commentary, mocking former president Rodrigo Duterte’s unfulfilled 2016 campaign promise to ride a jet ski to the Spratlys to assert the country’s sovereignty.
“We have witnessed how the Dutertes have weaponized social media, employing a core of influencers and content creators to silence critics and dissenting voices,” Tinio said. “The same people who defended Duterte’s death threats against journalists, his misogynistic remarks, and his violent language are now crying foul over a comedian’s satirical skit.”
He also condemned alleged efforts to pressure Vice Ganda’s network and sponsors to drop him, calling it “a clear example of cancel culture being employed by authoritarian forces to suppress free expression.”
Tinio, son of National Artist for Theater and Literature Rolando Tinio, stressed the need to protect artistic freedom and the right to satirical expression.