VICE Ganda was noticeably absent from the August 11 episode of the noontime show “It’s Showtime” following the ruckus caused by his “jetski holiday” skit with Regine Velasquez during their two-night “Super Divas” concert.
The comedy sketch featured the duo’s exploration of the viral “Jet2 holiday” meme, but replaced it with references to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s unfulfilled campaign promise to jetski to the Spratlys to plant the Philippine flag in order to deter China’s incursions into the country’s territories.
“Nothing beats a jet ski holiday, right now from Manila to the West Philippine Sea via jet ski. Get unlimited water bombing from Chinese vessels and a free trip to The Hague by the ICC (International Criminal Court). Promo applies to DDS (Diehard Duterte Supporters) only. Pinklawans and BBMs are prohibited. Huwag niyo akong subukan, mga pu****i** niyo,” he said.
Since his two-night concert, the host-comedian has been inundated with criticisms from supporters of the former President, who is currently incarcerated in The Hague in the Netherlands for crimes against humanity in connection with his administration’s war on drugs.
A screenshot of Vice Ganda’s Facebook page also showed that his followers went down by one-million from 20 million, based on a photo graphics that he posted just last August 7.
Among those who lashed out at Vice Ganda’s parody was former presidential spokesperson and Duterte ally Harry Roque, who is also currently staying in The Hague amid the Netherlands’ denial of his request for asylum.
According to Roque, Vice Ganda should have disclosed that his “attacks” on Duterte had to do with Speaker Martin Romualdez’s ownership of ABS-CBN shares through his Prime Media Holdings. He said Duterte supporters are unhappy with Vice Ganda, considering that he used to praise Duterte on his show.
Meanwhile, palace press officer Claire Castro came to the comedian’s defense, saying the jetski roast stemmed from Duterte’s own failure to make good on his promises.
Days after his viral joke, Vice Ganda was also noticeably absent from the August 11 episode of “It’s Showtime.” The Kapamilya star has yet to explain the cause of his absence.
Vice Ganda has not yet addressed the backlash, nor the decrease in the number of followers, as of press time.
INQUIRER.net also reached out to Viva Artists Agency, his management, for comment but it has yet to respond to queries. (Hannah Mallorca © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
