Akbayan party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña has defended Vice Ganda’s controversial “jetski holiday” skit, calling it not just a source of laughter but also an effective way to spark awareness on pressing political issues.
“Speaking truth to power is most potent when it makes people laugh. This means the message really got through. Laughter is not only the best medicine, it is also the best wake-up call,” Cendaña said on Monday, August 11.
The remark came after Vice Ganda, performing with Regine Velasquez in their August 8 concert, parodied a popular meme based on Jess Glynne’s Hold My Hand. The comedian replaced “Jet2 Holiday” with “jetski holiday,” a reference to former president Rodrigo Duterte’s 2016 campaign vow to ride a jetski to the West Philippine Sea in defiance of China’s incursions.
Vice Ganda’s version took a sharper political turn, mentioning Duterte’s detention at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague and joking about “unlimited water bombing from Chinese vessels” and a “free trip to The Hague” for diehard supporters.
The skit drew both praise and criticism online—supporters lauded the duo for weaving political relevance into entertainment, while others defended Duterte. Calls to declare Vice persona non grata in Davao City, the Duterte family’s political stronghold, also surfaced.
Cendaña brushed off the backlash, saying, “And if ever you are declared persona non grata, that’s okay. Because in our hearts, Meme, you are a wonderful person.”
The “jetski” jab harks back to Duterte’s 2016 debate statement about confronting China, which he later admitted in 2021 was “purely political” and even called those who believed it “stupid.” Duterte is currently in ICC custody over charges linked to thousands of deaths in his administration’s anti-drug campaign, a figure rights groups say could be as high as 30,000.
