A fictional portrayal of the president of the Philippines in a hit U.S .television series has earned criticisms from the real-life administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The trailer for the upcoming episode of the CBS political drama “Madam Secretary” was recently released and no less than the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC express dismay over the 20-second preview, Reuters reports.
In the clip released earlier this week, Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord, the lead character played by Téa Leoni, receives sexual advances from the Philippines’ “unconventional new president” named Datu Andrada. The reaction of Leoni’s character was a powerful punch in the face that made the fictional president’s nose bleed.
According to its Facebook page, the Philippine Embassy said it wrote a letter to CBS in protest of the “highly negative depiction” of the Philippine president, which it said, “tarnishes the Philippines’ longstanding advocacy for women’s rights and gender equality.”
Ernesto Abella, the president’s spokesman, also criticized the show, while making a reference to Duterte’s counterpart in the U.S.
“I think they’re projecting something that they really would like to say about their own situation. Really I think they should use a fictional U.S. president,” he said.
It is interesting to note, however, that the real Philippine president has previously made headlines for his comments that are sexist and offensive.
During his campaign last year, Duterte has been widely criticized for saying that he should have been “first” in the rape of a “beautiful” Australian missionary who was murdered in a prison riot in 1989. He would later say that he was just joking and his statements had been misinterpreted.
He also proudly announced during a campaign speech that he had two mistresses who he kept at cheap boarding houses. The President has also been criticized for catcalling a female journalist and had made jokes about staring at his female Vice-President’s legs.
