Former President Cory Aquino expressed annoyance upon hearing about how she was spoofed in the “Daily Show” a satirical news program aired over American cable channel Comedy Central. The former president told ABS-CBN News that she is not familiar with the popular news satire program and has never actually seen the show. When asked what she will do in response to the spoof, she said: “I’ve already prayed for the people behind it. I’m leaving it all up to God.” Aquino, who led the countyr after toppling former dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and who weathered several attempts to bring down her government, is known for her clean living and religiosity. She frequently encourages people to pray.

Diplomatic protest

Aquino’s daughter, television personality Kris Aquino also took offense at the spoof saying Americans would not like it either if Filipinos made fun of their presidents.

Cory

“What if we took someone like, say, former President Jimmy Carter who builds homes for the poor all over the world, and said he was a former ‘call boy’ (male prostitute)?”

For Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, a diplomatic protest is in order because the government needs to “draw the line” when it comes to jokes about former presidents.

“The Daily Show” spoofed Aquino in a satirical segment by “news correspondent” Samantha Bee titled “Is America Ready for a Woman President?”

The segment showed pictures of various women leaders including former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir and former president Aquino. Aquino’s picture had the word “slut” written on it .

“Whoever put that graphic has a sick mind. Why would [they] do that to a revered democratic icon all over the world, known very much for her clean living and religious life?” Sytangco told ABS-CBN’s morning show “Umagang Kay Ganda”, said Deedee Sytangco, spokesperson for the former president.

The segment was aired on “The Daily Show’s” September 18 episode. It is posted on here.

The segment showed Bee doing mock interviews with various personalities about the possibility of having a woman president in the United States. Interviewed in the segment were Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women; La Shawn Barber, columnist for the Washington Examiner; and Mystery, a tv show host for music channel VH1.

The segment showed Meir’s picture with a word balloon saying “Oy!” while Thatcher’s image was digitally manipulated, placing her face on the body of pop star Britney Spears. It was the notorious Britney Spears photo where she was caught on camera with no underwear.

Context

“I pity the people who did this,” Sytangco said, adding that Filipinos should react strongly to the insult as they did when the medical profession was criticized by the hit US TV series “Desparate Housewives.”

“We Filipinos should also react to this, that we feel strongly about them reviling a revered icon here in the Philippines,” she added.

Sytangco said that if she could second guess the former president, she would just tell the people to just pray for the people behind the insulting picture.

For veteran comedian and impersonator Willie Nepomuceno however, watching the “Daily Show” segment in full gives proper context to the spoof and mitigates the supposed “offense”

“Here we have Cory Aquino, who is know for her calls for prayer, for her repeated references to God. Then we have the segment calling her a “slut”. It’s a complete reversal of who she is. It’s unbelievable. It’s that twist that makes the comedy,” he said.

The lampoon on former President Aquino came on the heels of a controversial episode of another American TV show “Desperate Housewives” which featured an insulting remark about Philippine medical schools.

Apology

ABC Studios and producers of the “Desperate Housewives” apologized on Thursday after its Web site was flooded with complaints from the Filipino community, after an insulting bit of dialogue disparaging medical schools in the Philippines.

“The producers of “Desperate Housewives” and ABC Studios offer our sincere apologies for any offense caused by the brief reference in the season premiere. There was no intent to disparage the integrity of any aspect of the medical community in the Philippines. As leaders in broadcast diversity, we are committed to presenting sensitive and respectful images of all communities featured in our programs,” the statement said.

In the premiere episode of “Desperate Housewives” Season 4, the character Susan Mayer (played by actress Teri Hatcher) asked for the credentials of the gynecologist who examined her after being told that she was approaching menopause.

Mayer said: “Can I check those diplomas ‘coz I just want to make sure that they’re not from some med school in the Philippines.” The line sparked a furor among Filipino Americans and Filipinos, particularly those working in the United States health care industry.

Source: ABS-CBN News