• ABS-CBN’s ‘Banana Sundae’ attracted controversy for using blackface in skit
• The Sunday afternoon comedy show is in the middle of a growing controversy after its actors sported blackface to make fun of the Binay family, one of the Philippines’ major political clans
• ‘Banana Sundae’ uses Blackface, sparks anger in netizens

On April 27, during an election forum organized by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting in a church, Makati City Mayor Abby Binay  and her brother, also her political rival, got into a pretty heated argument. Abby says that her brother said some pretty nasty things to her, including something about her husband Luis Campos, and these all happened infront of their father, former Vice President Jejomar Binay.

According to reports, everything started when Abby, during her speech, said that the other candidates should stop spreading lies about her, which triggered her brother. When she returned to her seat beside Junjun, the siblings immediately got into it and were separated.

‘Banana Sundae,’ formerly known as ‘Banana Split,’ a gag show that has been around since 2008, did a skit of the entire situation last Sunday.

The Binays are known for their darker than usual skin tone, and this feature have has been made fun of before. The skit showed three people playing Abby, Junjun, and Jejomar, with their faces painted in black.

Netizen Joey Lazaro aired his frustration by posting that “A skit was shown in Banana Sundae with the intent of having a spoof of the Binay incident that happened last week. The show just used black face to portray the Binay siblings including their father, our former Vice President.

Dear ABS-CBN , how could you allow such insensitivity to happen? NOT FUNNY AT ALL.”

The Facebook post has nearly 8k likes and has been shared over 6k times.

Netizens felt that the skit was disrespectful and ‘racist.’ They also criticized ABS-CBN for allowing it to be aired. But a good amount of netizens were not concerned about it and actually found the whole skit to be funny.

Blackface is part of a history of dehumanization, of denied citizenship, and of efforts to justify state violence. In the 20th-century in America, non-black actors used blackface to portray black people that created racist stereotypes. After the civil rights movement, blackface was labeled offensive and  unacceptable by modern standards of political correctness.

Here in the Philippines, unlike in the west, we have no known history of slavery. Nobody enslaved the native Aetas, and they are closest to being black than any indigenous group in the country, and that is the reason why Filipinos still do not understand why the blackface is offensive.

There have been blackface issues in the past, for example ‘Bubble Gang’ making a skit about NBA Star LeBron James, the show ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya,’ ‘Nita Negrita,’ and a few others.

Twitter users had something to say about it too.

This was shown early today in ABS-CBN's Banana Sundae. With intent of having a spoof on the Binay incident last week, the show did not realize how offensive the entire skit is. pic.twitter.com/Y7khUEPVkU

— JP—Link—Okra—Ewww (@dumidyeypee) May 5, 2019

https://twitter.com/joshuamontajes/status/1124934576839643136

Aren't these comedians informed that black face or body painting for humor is a distasteful humor. They wanted to make a humor of the Binays fighting but what the hell were they even thinking.
The Siblings' Fight | Banana Sundae https://t.co/F8AqSAjUdI via @YouTube

— pats (@patjsdc) May 5, 2019

https://twitter.com/_helloyd/status/1124926657318379521

https://twitter.com/Izeeeett/status/1124928075261546497

• Nancy Binay said that she has never thought about making her skin fairer.
• She also said that she does read all the jokes about her online.

Senator Nancy Binay has been one of the most mocked politicians in the country; not just because she’s the daughter of former Vice President Jejomar Binay, but because of her skin color as well.

So has she ever thought about having fairer skin? She said no.

At the recent launch of her book Make Love Not War, the politician was asked if she ever tried Glutathione.

“Actually, meron akong friend nga, e, ganyan din ang negosyo niya.

“Isang box nga yung pinadala sa bahay. May coffee, may soap, may lotion. Wala, hindi, e.”

The 45-year-old politician share one more reason why she can’t have fairer skin: she loves sunbathing.

“Ang favorite ko talagang gawin ay mag-sunbathing. I love going to the beach. So talagang hindi tayo puputi.

“Kung puwede lang, shorts and slippers, the whole day.”

So how does she react to her bashers; insulting her every chance they can have?

“Binabasa ko every day. Kasi gaya nung iba, I appreciate, kasi yung iba talaga, nakakatuwa naman…lalung-lalo na yung mga memes, talagang naa-appreciate ko yun.

“Kasi isipin mo, di ba, yung time and effort to do a meme on me is a, ano ba tawag dun? Parang compliment. Yun yung, that’s how I look at it.”

Binay said that she acknowledged some of them because they’re actually true.

“Minsan naman, aminado ako na totoo yung…totoo yung sinasabi, for example yung, iyan yung sa SONA…I admit na talagang, totoo namang mukha akong parachute, mukha akong Fiona, ‘tapos may isa pang Pokemon character…”

• Nancy Binay made a statement about the said list released by former Davao City vice mayor Paolo Duterte.
• She said that it was “not accurate nor validated” and is a case of “misinformation and disinformation”.

Senator Nancy Binay called out Presidential son Paolo Duterte for releasing a list of supposed personalities and companies that are plotting to oust his father from being the Commander-In-Chief.

A few days ago, the senator made a statement after the former Davao City vice mayor posted facebook. The unvalidated list included people, groups, and businesses allegedly behind plots against President Rodrigo Duterte. This included her father, former Vice President Jejomar Binay.

She slammed the “misinformation and disinformation” move, which was shared by most pro-Duterte social media pages and websites.

“The information was not accurate nor validated. It’s painfully evident that basic intel is lacking at present. The supposed list in connection with the alleged destabilization plot against the President reflects the sorry state of state intelligence, and the handicap of our intelligence and counterintelligence structures.”

She said that she took pity on the agency that gave the report to the vice mayor.

“Naaawa ako doon sa agency na nagbigay ng intel report kay vice mayor. Sa tingin ko, kailangan silang tulungan para mai-improve naman ang kanilang level of intel capabilities. Kapag kasama na si Jollibee, McDonald’s at mutants sa destabilization plot, it’s a cause for alarm. It means our country is already in grave danger.

“The awkward question: Ano ba talaga, kuya? Diliman ba o dilawan? Kasama nga ba si Jollibee, Ronald, Hetty, at Padawan?”

The list included Vice President Leni Robredo, media personalities, restaurants, and religious personalities.

• Paolo Duterte named those who are allegedly plotting to oust his father from the Presidential seat.
• He claimed that these people meet in several and different locations.

In a deleted Facebook post, Presidential son Paolo Duterte shared a list of the personalities and companies that are allegedly planning to oust his father, President Rodrigo Duterte.

The list included politicians like Vice President Leni Robredo, former Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, Leila de Lima, Senator Risa Hontiveros, and former senator Francisto Tadtad. Others are known to be allies of former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

Aside from the politicians, a few religious personalities are also listed like Bishop Broderick Pabilo, Bishop Leo Drona, Bishop Antonio Tobias, Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez, Bishop Julio Xavier Labayen, Bishop Pablo David, and Bishop Arturo Santos.

Even private companies are not exempted because Jollibee Food Corp., Dole Philippines, PLDT, Philsaga Mining Corp., General Tuna Corp., and Sumi Philipines Wiring System are allegedly against the President.

Journalists Maria Ressa, Ellen Tordesillas, and Ed Lingao are also in the list.

Paolo added that the mentioned individuals hold meetings at Maryhill School of Theology in New Manila, Alfredo’s and Annabelle’s Restaurants at Tomas Morato Avenue, and UP Hotels in Quezon City.

Still undecided for the May 9 elections? Here are some reasons you should give that vote to Vice President Jejomar Binay.

1. Tax Reform

If there is one candidate who is a staunch supporter of tax reforms, it is Jejomar Binay. We need a leader who has the will to push for tax reform bill in Congress and start overhauling our taxation system.

2. Outstanding Mayor

Binay has a proven track record in the city of Makati. Makati is synonymous to progress and development—the same things he envisions for the whole country.

3. Hard working

He has been relentless in doing his campaign activities around the country. In a report by Rappler, Binay’s efforts to campaign for his presidential bid started even as early as five years ago.

A new viral video has been making the rounds of social media. In it, 2016 President-aspirant Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte makes a joke about an Australian rape-slay victim.

The one-minute video clip that was posted by YouTube user “Beatboxer ng Pinas” last April 16, 2016 featured Duterte in the middle of a speech at a campaign rally, sharing the story of a female Australian missionary who was raped and killed. The now infamous video continues to criticism from netizens and the general public as seen on the original YouTube source and various social media.

The following text contains graphic and violent language:
“Nirape nila lahat ng mga babae. So ‘yung unang asolte, kasi nagretreat sila; naiwan yung ginawa nilang cover, ang isa doon yung layminister na Australyana. Tsk, problema na ito…Pag labas, edi binalot, tinignan ko yung mukha, ‘tangina parang artista sa America na maganda. Putangina, sayang ito. Ang nagpasok sa isip ko, nirape nila, pinagpilahan nila doon. Nagalit ako kasi nirape, oo isa rin ‘yun, pero napakaganda, dapat ang mayor muna ang mauna. Sayang.”

(“They raped all the women. So in the first assault, because they retreated,  the remains of the people they used as cover were left, one of which was the body of an Australian lay minister. Tsk, this is a problem… When the body was brought outside which was then covererd, I looked at her face, son of a bitch she looks like a beautiful celebrity from America. Son of a bitch, this is such a waste. What came to my mind was, they raped her, and lined up for her. I got angry because she was raped, that’s one thing, but she was so beautiful, the mayor should have been first. What a waste.” )

An Inquirer article, which reported about the controversial viral video, made the connection that Davao Mayor was referring to the 1989 hostage incident by Felipe Pugoy, an inmate of the Davao City Police Office. The “Pugoy” hostage taking incident involved the police storming the city jail after prisoners had taken over and ministers who were there to preach were held hostage and killed in the process. This included Australian lay missioner Jaqueline Hamill, 36 years old.

The controversial video instantly went viral and received the ire of a majority of Filipino netizens.

Fellow Presidential candidates also released their respective statements about the rape joke

National Woman’s alliance group GABRIELA also released a statement and open latter addressing Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s joke about rape:

https://www.facebook.com/gabriela.alliance/photos/a.167017631582.131168.161913011582/10153405374676583/?type=3&theater

This is not the first time that Duterte made some highly questionable statements that drew ire of many Filipinos, including one about his joke about the Pope Francis’s Philippine visit.

This is also not the first time that a public personality drew flak from joking about rape. Vice Ganda was also heavily criticized for his rape joke at the expense of multi-award winning journalist Jessica Soho in his “I-Vice Ganda Mo Ako sa Araneta” comedy concert back in 2013.

As the 2016 Philippine election on May 9 draws near, the campaigning and the mudslinging between candidates intensifies as Filipinos get ready to vote.

In a statement released by United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) standard-bearer and current Vice-President Jejomar Binay, he labeled Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte as a national executioner (“pambansang berdugo“) and his followers as cyberbullies.

Binay stated:

“Hindi ka pa presidente Mister berdugong mamamatay tao pero alam na ng mga tao na kapag ikaw ay manalo – huwag naman sana – ay bawal na silang magsalita, bawal kumontra.”

(“You are still not the President Mister executioner but people are already aware that if you win—hopefully not—that people will be prohibited to speak or put up an opposition.”)

“Kapag sinabi nila ito, lalo na sa social media, hindi lang binabastos, tinatakot pa. Wala nang kalayaan magsabi ng kontra nilang opinyon sapagkat sila ay tinatakot, sinasabihan na gagahasain at papatayin,”

(“If they speak out about this matter, especially on social media, they are not just harassed but threatened as well. There will no longer be freedom to express their opposing opinions because they are threatened with rape or even murder.”)

“Palagi mo na lang tinatakot ang mga mahihirap. Palagi mo na lang pinapatay ang mahihirap. Pinagyayabang mo na ipagpapatuloy mo ang pagpatay sa mahihirap at mga pinagsususpetsahan mo na lumabag sa batas kapag ikaw ay magiging pangulo. Hindi ako papayag sa maling ginagawa mo.”

(“You always threaten the poor. You always kill the poor. You brag about continuing to kill the poor and those you suspect of violating the law if ever you are to become the President. I will not allow your wrongdoing.”)

“Hindi na natatakot ang mga tao sa pangbubully ng mga taga-suporta mo, lalo na online. Lalabanan namin ang masamang gawain mo.”

(“People are no longer afraid of the bullying done by your supporters specially online. We will fight your wrongdoings.”)

Here is the TV Patrol news clip on Mar Roxas and Binay criticizing Duterte:

This recent more adversarial stand by Binay against Duterte may be traced to the recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from March 30 to April 2 commissioned by BusinessWorld. The survey saw 27% of the respondents pick Duterte as their President.

In the past, Duterte also had strong words for Binay:

Slow, but expensive is how one could describe internet services in the Philippines. During last year’s 13th Youth Congress on Information Technology, Mary Grace Mirandilla-Santos, a research fellow at LIRNEasia (Learning Initiatives on Reforms for Network Economies Asia), revealed that internet service providers (ISPs) in the country provide 70% to 80% less of what they promise to subscribers.

Within the Asian Region, Philippine ISPs offer the lowest value for your money. Santos explained that “Ideally, there are more kilobytes per second you receive for every piso you pay. But it shows here that one kilobyte per peso is what we get, which is very low compared to other countries.”

In a CNN Philippines online article last November, the NTC (National Telecommunications Commission) admitted that the Philippines does indeed have slower internet speeds compared to other countries in Asia. The commission attributes the slow speed to a lack of government subsidy and the country’s geography or difficulties faced in interconnecting all the islands in the peninsula.

Perhaps keeping in mind this seeming lack of subsidy, Senator Grace Poe promised that if elected as president, she would allocate 7% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to infrastructure development, which includes—not only the improvement of internet services, but also—the development of roads, airports, seaports, and railroads.

Speaking at the UP Bahay ng Alumni last September, the senator said that “Di ito (the internet) dapat kasing-bagal ng mga sasakyan sa EDSA… Kung di kaya ng pribadong sektor, isusulong ko ang isang government-supported industrialization at IT plan para makalikha ng industriya.” ([The internet] should not move as slowly as the vehicles on EDSA. If the private sector cannot handle it, I will put in place a government-supported industrialization and IT plan to create industry.)

Regarding the private sector, if Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte takes the presidential seat, he would gather all the telcos together and ask them, “Ano bang problema n’yo? (What’s your problem?)” This he said at a UP forum last February.

“Wala akong panahong makipagdaldalan (I don’t have time for small talk),” the tough-talking mayor said. Although he was also quick to point out that he was not that tech-savvy, saying “Cellphone ko ‘yung de-pindot lang (My cellphone is not even a touch screen).”

MANILA, Philippines.– The recent survey of Pulse Asia Inc. conducted from February 16 to 27 has unveiled the preferred presidential candidates of Filipinos according to geographical location and income class.

For the survey commissioned by ABS-CBN, 5,200 qualified voters were asked the question: “If the coming 2016 election were held today, whom would you vote for as President of the Philippines?”

Senator Grace Poe, who was recently allowed by the Supreme Court to run for president emerged as the top choice nationwide (26%) as well as in Luzon (32%) and the National Capital Region (30%). Former DILG chief Manuel “Mar” Roxas III, who hails from the province of Roxas, got the majority of the votes in Visayas with 33%.

Tough talking mayor Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte from Davao city came out as the top choice for voters in Mindanao with 47%.

While Poe was the top choice for Class D and E getting 26% and 27% of the votes, respectively, Duterte was preferred by Class ABC with 27%.

The survey was conducted through “secret voting,” a method where respondents gave their answers in sealed ballots, which were only opened during tabulation.

Last February 24, 2016, China sent fighter jets to the Paracel chain of islands in the West Philippine Sea, the same group of islands where they also deployed surface-to-air missiles earlier on in the month.

These developments are being viewed as a move towards militarization of the region on China’s part. But Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in the US for a dialogue with US Secretary of State John Kerry, claims that China is merely reacting to the Philippines’s violating international agreements on maritime conduct.

“It is exactly one country,” Wang stated, “and let me not avoid mentioning the name: that is, the Philippines has violated the stipulation of Article 4 of DOC (the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea) and has given up on the dialogue and negotiations with the direct concerned parties of China, which is regrettable and which is ill-advised.”

On the US’s part, US Navy Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin in an interview in Sydney, stated that “What we’re trying to ensure is that all countries, no matter size or strength, can pursue their interests based on the law of the sea and not have that endangered by some of these actions.”

On the part of the presidential candidates, here’s where each of them stands on the issue.