- Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte tells supporters in Tarlac the ‘kissing spree’ was merely for drama effects
- This was after the presidential candidate gets flak over his actions in a Pampanga event
- Several online users expressed dismay over his ‘Valentino style’
- A political analyst believes Duterte’s action was to increase his profile among voters
He said it himself — “I’m not the most moral person in this world.”
After receiving flak from online users and from certain groups after the controversial ‘kissing spree’ that took place during an event in San Fernando, Pampanga last week, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte opted to talk about the infamous ‘kissing spree’ to his supporters in Tarlac on Monday, February 8.
People have expressed dismay and disappointment over his acts and even described his ‘moves’ as “unacceptable and inconsistent with his advocacy for women.”
The presidentiable’s seemingly ‘flirty ways was viewed by many as disgusting and revolting, and unbecoming of someone who’s running to be the president of the country.
However, the supporters of the tough-talking mayor were quick to defend the presidential candidate from Davao; reiterating that such things should not be an issue compared to what Duterte could deliver for the country if he’s elected president.
There are those who blame the women instead for ‘soliciting’ kiss from the mayor who obviously would not want his supporters disappointed. Some also blamed the media for sensationalizing the news without supposedly focusing on the real issue – which is the platform of governance offered by each candidate.
Tarlac Visit
Mayor Duterte and his running mate Senator Alan Peter Cayetano visited a small village in Tarlac to hear the concerns of the farmers and workers there, and as disclosed in a Rappler report published on February 8, 2016, the forum was informal and free-flowing.
During that visit, while speaking to a number of Tarlacenos, the presidential candidate also talked about the controversial ‘kissing spree’ that was actually his way of showing affection, as he said: ““Yakap, lambing ‘yan because nasanay ako sa Davao at binebeso ko.” [Hugging, it’s just my way of showing affection because in Davao I got used to kissing women on the cheek.]
Then referring to a scene as shown in a video when he slightly bent over a woman, seemingly to kiss her on the lips, the mayor said it was not really kissing. Rather, he professed that it was just drama; as he added: “parang Valentino style. Pa-ek-ek” — referring to it as mere antics.
The tough-talking mayor then directs to the media as harping on his antics, his playfulness instead of covering the issues of the election. “‘Yung mga halik [those kisses] ..what has kissing got to do with graft and corruption, what does kissing got to do with drugs and criminality…”
He professes: “That’s my character. There’s nothing wrong in kissing women. Beso-beso lang ‘yan [kissing on the cheek].”
He also said that ‘focus should be on issues, not kissing.’ He explains further that his platform is to fight crime, drugs and corruption, and spreading economic growth in all parts of the Philippines.
When asked if he would stop kissing women on the campaign trail, Duterte reportedly said he would continue giving “innocent” kisses.
Meanwhile, Senator Koko Pimentel, the PDP-Laban president, said on Tuesday during an interview on ANC Headstart that “nobody has complained”; as he further claimed, in defense of the Davao City mayor, that there is also “no malice” on the part of the latter despite his being a self-confessed womanizer.
Duterte talks about the controversial ‘kissing’ in Pampanga as shared in a Rappler video:
Post a Comment