"Mocking women is not the way to convince people you’re worthy of election to public office."
"Mocking women is not the way to convince people you’re worthy of election to public office."
The latest from the loquacious Kris Aquino is her gripe against senatorial candidate Bong Go and his campaign stumper Philip Salvador, who’ve made her relationship with the latter humor fodder for their sorties.
I’m no fan of Kris and her penchant for airing her personal laundry in public, but she’s been dealt a low blow by Go and Salvador, who are certainly no gentlemen as they have shown by their behavior.
A video circulating on the internet shows Go joking that Salvador sired four children in Davao. He addressed someone offstage, presumably Salvador, saying, “Totoo naman eh. Naloko mo nga si Kris Aquino eh” (It’s true. You even cheated on Kris Aquino.)
In the ‘90s, Aquino had a relationship with Salvador and had her eldest son, Joshua, by him. According to Aquino, Salvador has remained mostly mum about their time together until this episode with Go. This prompted the former presidential daughter and sister to say she was deeply hurt by the repartee and to accuse her son’s father of putting Joshua in a bad spot by demeaning his mother.
Go apologized to Kris publicly while stumping in San Andres, Manila. He said it was all just a “script” between him and Salvador and that they were just trying to “make the voters happy.”
There was no reason at all for Go to make Kris the butt of jokes. In fact, she has spoken well of him in the past. It was with palpable pain that she wrote on social media, “Wala po akong atraso sa inyo SAP Bong Go. I have only had good words for you pero sana sa paglilingkod niyo para sa mga Pilipino bilang senador (I know you are a sure winner), sana priority nyo rin po ang mga kababaihan.
“Kris Aquino na ako pero madaling gawing ‘joke’ na ‘naloko’ ako ng ama ng panganay ko. Nagtrabaho ako, at hindi ako pinabayaan ng pamilya ko. But what about the women without financial security and family?” she added.
Aquino raises a good point—if someone with her wealth and high profile in society can be made a laughing stock, then more so the ordinary women who have no such privilege or protection. Go’s mockery of Kris is especially egregious at this point in time, when the #MeToo movement that holds men accountable for their misogynistic behavior has spread worldwide.
#MeToo has not gained ground here yet because patriarchy is so deeply embedded in our culture that male privilege under this repressive system is taken as a right. When Go was on that stage, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with taking a woman’s painful life experience and making it fun of it just to get a few laughs.
Many netizens were indignant. The Cyclelogist: “Hindi comedy bar tinatakbuhan mo kaya itigil mo na jokes mo. Gusto namin malaman plataporma mo.”
Arian Mendoza: “BASTOS KA BONG GO and PHILIP SALVADOR kayo ang klaseng mga lalaki na binabastos ang mga babae mga walang kwentang lalaki sa mundo, tapos sasabihin joke? Sabihin nyo sa nanay nyo at kapatid na babae.”
Darkshadesofgray3: “I can see a desperate politician.”
Politicians should realize that it’s never a good idea to disregard values. While many netizens dislike Aquino and think she’s brought her problems on herself, some of them believe that Go went too far and was bastos, which in our culture goes beyond rude. It means obscene, disrespectful, without shame.
Not only was Kris’s sorrow as a partner mocked—naloko siya—but somehow the young boy Joshua was considered as also having been insulted, by the mere fact of his relationship to his mother and father.
To Go and other candidates: the best way to “make voters happy” is to present a clear, well-thought out platform of plans and programs. Tell voters how you will serve them and address their pressing problems. Show that you are the best person for the job because you are qualified and have the necessary education, knowledge, and skills.
Mocking women is not the way to convince people you’re worthy of election to public office.
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Pro tip for candidates: They don’t write comedy scripts in the Senate—they write laws. / FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO
