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Cory Aquino ‘annoyed’ by ‘Daily Show’ spoof

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.

“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 YouTube.com. http://youtube.com/watch?v=jc4RhBBw0b8

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.