Vice Ganda Persona Non Grata? VP Sara Duterte Speaks Up
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President clarified that the decision to declare TV host and comedian Vice Ganda as persona non grata in Davao City rests entirely with the city council. Her statement came amid the circulation of a document on social media claiming that Vice Ganda had already been declared unwelcome in the city—an allegation denied by Acting Davao City Vice Mayor Rodrigo “Rigo” Duterte II.
Acting Vice Mayor Duterte stressed that the city council has more important matters to address than entertaining what he described as baseless, attention-seeking acts from performers seeking relevance. He added that Davao City would not be distracted by what he called cheap insults and distasteful jokes made for publicity.
Vice President Sara Duterte said she has not personally seen or read the jokes in question. She emphasized that any decision on the matter should be based on the majority vote of the city council.
The controversy stems from Vice Ganda’s performance during a concert with Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez-Alcasid. In one segment, Vice performed a parody using the viral TikTok background music “Jet2 Holiday,” where he appeared to reference former President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial “Jet Ski promise” regarding the West Philippine Sea.
Vice Ganda also made remarks about DDS or Diehard Duterte Supporters and ended with an impersonation of the former president, complete with strong profanity—drawing laughter from the live audience but sparking outrage among Duterte supporters. In the parody, he promoted a mock “jet ski holiday” from Manila to the West Philippine Sea with “unlimited water bombing from Chinese vessels” and a “free trip to The Hague by the ICC,” joking that the offer was for DDS members only and excluding political opponents.
The term persona non grata, which is Latin for “unwelcome person,” refers to someone officially declared unwelcome in a city or province due to statements or actions perceived as offensive to local culture or norms. Such a declaration is usually formalized through a resolution passed by the local or national government and typically applies to non-residents.
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