Sara Duterte told to stop spending too much time on Netflix

FILE PHOTO: Vice President Sara Duterte. SCREENGRAB FROM DEPED PHILIPPINES FACEBOOK PAGE

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte is drawing more criticisms over her self-appointment as a “designated survivor,” with lawmakers advising her to refrain from watching too much Netflix.

In the House of Representatives, legislators reminded her that having a designated survivor is not sanctioned under the Constitution.

Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. sounded the alarm on Duterte’s behavior.

“There’s no such thing as ‘Designated Survivor; in the Philippines! Is she spending too much time watching Netflix? She better read our Constitution. It’s as clear as sunlight,” Gonzales said in a statement Friday.

“She should be more circumspect and responsible in her utterances, owing to her title and the high office that she represents,” he added.

READ: Sara to skip Marcos’ Sona, names self ‘designated survivor’

Camiguin Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo, meanwhile, said Duterte should be careful because a Netflix series would not be a good basis for her actions.

“Vice President Sara Duterte should be more cautious with what she says. After all, she is still a public official, and Netflix is not a good basis for her actions or inactions,” Romualdo said.

“Does she have a premonition of the things to come? She should refrain from watching too much Netflix. Her joke could have been better handled given that all high-ranking officials of the land would be there,” he added.

According to Gonzales, Duterte’s alleged joke was made in bad taste because the government has been trying to secure President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. against unfortunate incidents.

“It’s a very bad joke. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth, especially coming from a very popular VP who garnered a resounding 32 million votes in the last presidential elections. It’s the highest vote for an elected official, in our history books,” he said.

“Matagal na tayong nagpe-prepare sa Big One, iyung earthquake, lalo sa Sona na nandito sa Batasan ang matataas na mga lider ng bansa, tapos ngayon may designated survivor pala na pang-Netflix si VP,” he added.

(We have been preparing for so long for the Big One, the earthquake, especially during the Sona where high-ranking leaders of the country are here in the Batasang Pambansa, then VP Sara has a Netflix-style designated survivor in her mind.)

READ: Sara Duterte as ‘designated survivor’? She must be ‘delulu’ – group

Romualdo, for his part, noted that no one has boasted of being a designated survivor in the past State of the Nation Address (Sona) and used this as a reason to skip the event – even stressing that none of Duterte’s predecessors ever did that.

“In the decades worth of SONAs that we’ve had, nobody has ever flaunted being the ‘designated survivor’ and used it as the excuse to skip the important event. Proper decorum and tradition say that the Vice President should be there in plenary at Batasan to hear the good President’s report to the nation,” Romualdo noted.

“This is among the political instances that take a backseat to transparency and unbridled communication with the public. Vice President Duterte’s predecessors did this with no issue while in office. One would think that she would also strive to achieve that standard,” he added.

Duterte’s designated survivor remark in Davao City on Wednesday, July 10, came after she announced that she will not attend the third Sona of President Marcos on July 22.

Critics said the Vice President’s statements were a veiled threat because it seemed to be an implication that something wrong might happen to the country’s leaders, who would attend the Sona.

Gonzales emphasized that Duterte’s remark was unnecessary.

“This is unnecessary and uncalled for – to say the least. The VP is creating or wreaking havoc to the general public. She’s alarming the people. The SONA is a yearly official and formal event that needs respect, most especially from elected officials like her,” he said.

Gonzales also asked if the people can still trust Duterte given her varying statements — like her previous announcement that her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, will run for the Senate, but the older Duterte disputed this eventually.

“Is she really serious? […] “I mean: which is which really? We don’t even know if we can still trust her now. Whatever happened to some decency or at least being forthright in public service? A career in government is not something anybody can play with. We’re dealing with people’s money and public resources,” Gonzales added.