Slams Netflix show’s negative portrayal of PH
PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief Police General Oscar Albayalde on Monday, May 20, came to President Rodrigo Duterte’s defense, urging the Philippine government’s international critics to visit the country and see for themselves the peace and order and the drug war being enforced here.
This is after American comedian Hasan Minhaj presented “erroneous narratives” about Duterte and Philippine politics in the May 12 episode of political-satire show “Patriot Act” aired on Netflix.
“This is the very reason why our country is being portrayed as a chaotic place. That’s why we challenge these people to come here to our country and see for themselves the situation on the peace and order and the war on drugs here,” Albayalde said in a press briefing at the national police headquarters at Camp Crame.
According to him, this portrayal of the country is “unfair to the administration and to those working in the country.”
Albayalde also said that it causes “misinterpretation” and “misconception” of the Philippines to people abroad.
Malacañang earlier slammed Hasan as well as the episode which had the comedian criticizing Duterte’s war against drugs and expressing his thoughts on the President’s senatorial candidates.
“We find it desperate that, on the eve of the Philippine midterm elections, the vociferous detractors of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte would use an American comedy show, aired on Netflix, to demonize the Chief Executive and his government in its episode entitled ‘Brazil, Corruption and the Rainforest’ before the global audience,” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a statement on Tuesday, May 14.
“Mr. Hasan Minhaj, an American comedian and host, maliciously implied that President Duterte is an ‘autocrat’ who ‘every so often goes on a killing spree,’” Andanar added. “He cited an exaggerated figure — 27,000, which is way higher than the official figure — to besmirch the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.”
According to him, there are about 5,050 drug personalities who died during the 115,435 anti-drug operations from July 2016 to November 2018 based on government data.
He also cited Philippine National Police’s (PNP) report which detailed that “a large number of deaths were done by the hands of vigilantes due to the rivalry between drug gangs.”
Andanar mentioned the government’s rehabilitation programs, as well, saying there were about 303,533 individuals who graduated from these rehabilitation programs since Duterte assumed presidency in 2016.
“We express outrage that such erroneous narratives, obviously peddled by anti-Duterte haters and trolls, would find their way to the gullible TV host and his comedy show and unwittingly parrot these falsehoods to an audience unaware of the real score in the Philippines,” he said.
“The Philippines, like the USA, is a country where democracy is vibrant and the will of the people reigns supreme. Ultimately, it is the Filipino people who will choose their own set of leaders and we simply have to respect the results of the elections,” Andanar added, referring to Hasan’s criticism against Duterte’s endorsement of some senatorial candidates.
The Palace official explained that the results of the midterm elections meant that the Filipinos still favored Duterte.
“The president called on the public to vote for those who support his measures to uplift people from poverty and have a stable, comfortable, and peaceful life that they deserve. He also called on the public to dismiss black propaganda against the administration amid the midterm elections,” Andanar said.
“The preliminary results of the nationwide polls affirmed that the public indeed heeded the president’s call. This proves that the voting population continues to believe in the genuine reforms advocated by the candidates endorsed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” he added. (Ritchel Mendiola/AJPress)
