“HUMAN” DUTERTE SHINES IN ‘GANDANG GABI VICE’

By Manny Piñol

Presidential prospect and Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte, long projected as the tough-talking vigilante leader linked to extra-judicial killings and dubbed “The Punisher,” gave the country a rare glimpse into his “human” side as he danced, joked and bared his love life in the full episode of the hit “Gandang Gabi Vice” on ABS-CBN.

The show, which was taped two weeks ago, was Number 1 in trending in the social media, a surprise performance by a rural politician whose popularity was mainly because of his record of making Davao City one of the safest cities in the world.

Egged on by the flamboyant TV presenter Vice Ganda, Jose Marie Borja Viceral in real life, Duterte, whose stern appearance in most media interviews left viewers the impression of a very strict and authoritarian local political leader with dictatorial tendencies, showed the Rody Duterte not very many people know.

His frank and honest views on same-sex marriage and the bullying of gays earned a hug from the openly gay Vice Ganda.

Duterte said that long before Gay Rights became a vogue, Davao City under his leadership had passed an Ordinance which outlawed discrimination against gays.

The same ordinance also imposed fines on Davao City housing developers who refused to sell units to the Muslim families from the outlying areas who wanted to resettle in the city.

“Ayaw ko talaga na binu-bully ang mga bakla. I don’t really like oppression,” he told the TV presenter.

Duterte appeared so prepared for the tough questions prompting people to ask whether he rehearsed for the hour-long appearance with Vice Ganda as he responded to the tough questions with ease, never mind if these were delivered in his thick Visayan accent.

At the end of the show, Vice Ganda told Duterte that he/she was impressed knowing that the colourful City Mayor was just as human as everybody else.

“You’re really human like us,” Vice Ganda told Duterte who even offered to give the TV presenter a smack before leaving.

The general impression was: Duterte is human after all.

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