What happens when the punchline becomes policy, and the parody outpaces the truth?
A jet ski promise once made the nation laugh – until we realized the joke’s on us.
A deepfake scandal once made headlines – until we saw whose dignity was being digitally dismantled.
This piece is about our country that mistook mockery for strength, and about a family that bore the brunt of our collective forgetting.
It’s not just about what was said.
It’s about what we chose to believe, and who we chose to betray.
In the theater of Philippine politics, satire is often dismissed as noise – until it hits a nerve. And when it does, the reaction reveals more than the joke itself. What follows is not just a critique of selective outrage, but a reckoning with how humor, cruelty, and silence have been weaponized in unequal measure.
Let’s begin with a skit, a scandal, and the uncomfortable truths they expose.
THE JOKE That Shook The DDS
Recently, Vice Ganda found herself in the crosshairs of the Duterte Diehard Supporters (DDS) for a satirical skit poking fun at the infamous jet ski promise of former President Rodrigo Duterte. The punchline? A playful jab at the political theatrics. The reaction? A tsunami of condemnation from DDS, who suddenly discovered their moral compass – only, it seems, when the joke’s on them.
WHEN THE JOKE Isn’t A Joke
Let’s talk about hurt. Real hurt. Not bruised egos from late-night comedy, but the kind that scars families and shatters dignity.
Take Aika Robredo, daughter of former Vice President Leni Robredo. In the heat of the 2022 campaign, Aika became the target of a vile deepfake pornographic video – her face superimposed onto another woman’s body using AI. It was cruel, calculated, and cowardly. And it wasn’t satire. It was violence.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas offered words of comfort to Aika.
I could only imagine Leni, as a mother, wailing silently into the void: "What have I done to you?”
Her cry, though unspoken, mirrors a deeper lament – a soliloquy of suffering that transcends politics and pierces the soul. It’s the same silent cry of Jesus - betrayed, brutalized, and nailed on the cross.
In those lines, we hear not just divine sorrow, but the human ache of being vilified despite service, mocked despite sacrifice, and crucified by the very people one ought to uplift.
Leni’s journey – marked by dignity, restraint, and quiet courage – was met not with reasoned debate, but with venomous ridicule. Her daughter Aika, dragged into the mud through a deepfake assault, bore the brunt of a political machine that weaponized shame. And still, they stood. Not with vengeance, but with grace.
“What have I offended you?” This is not just Leni’s lament. It is the cry of every woman who served with integrity and was repaid with cruelty. It is the echo of every truth-teller who dared to speak and was silenced. It is the question we must all ask – not of them, but of ourselves.
GALAWANG SINDIKATO: A Pattern of Political Violence
Former Senator Leila de Lima, herself a victim of similar attacks in 2016, called it out for what it was: Galawang Sindikato. (It’s what the syndicates do.)
And yet where was the outrage then? Where were the DDS defenders of decency when Aika’s dignity was dragged through the mud? When Leni was branded “madumb,” “lutang,” “tanga,” “utal-utal”? When disinformation flooded the campaign trail, painting Bongbong and Sara tandem in glowing hues while Leni was smeared with venom?
According to Tsek.ph, a fact-checking coalition of 34 academic and media institutions, the disinformation was not random – it was strategic. Leni’s words were twisted, fabricated, weaponized. Meanwhile, the UniTeam basked in the sunshine of algorithmic adoration.
WHAT ARE DEEPFAKES And Why Should We Care
Deepfakes are digitally manipulated videos that use AI to superimpose one person’s face onto another’s body. Originally developed for entertainment and visual effects, they’ve now become tools for harassment, political sabotage, and sexual exploitation.
SPEAK When It Matters Most
Dear ATABAY Reader, satire is not the enemy. If we only speak up when our side is mocked and stay quiet when others are violated, we become complicit in the cruelty.
Let’s be better – not just louder when our side is mocked, but brave when others are harmed. If this article resonates with you, share it. Let it spark conversations about digital ethics, political accountability, and the kind of leadership we deserve.
Speak up for those who’ve been silenced by deepfake abuse and disinformation, especially women whose dignity has been weaponized for political gain. And when satire dares to speak truth to power, defend it – not because it’s perfect, but because it’s necessary.
In a time when silence is often safer, choosing to speak is an act of courage.
EPILOGUE: The Wake After The Waves
The jet ski stunt was never meant to land. The deepfake hit its mark.
Truth didn’t just float – it was shoved under, while trolls threw confetti.
And the crowd cheered, not knowing they’d paid for the show.
But the tide has a habit of turning.
And when it does, it won’t be the memes that survive –
It will be the receipts.
Content & editing put together in collaboration with Bing Microsoft AI-powered Co-pilot
Head collage photos courtesy of South China Morning Post & Behance & Metro; design by Canva
Still photos courtesy of Brainy Quote, Reddit, Pngtree, Pxfuel, Adobe Stock, & Vecteezy
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