Cebu resolution seeks to ban singer Puno
CEBU CITY: The Cebu Provincial Board is expected to tackle on Monday a resolution authored by board member Arleigh Sitoy seeking to declare singer Rico J. Puno as “persona non grata” in the province for making a crude joke at Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia’s expense.
The resolution, which Sitoy co-authored with fellow board member Ribomapil Holganza Jr., said that the singer, who gained fame for his “green” jokes and witty “Taglish” (Tagalog-English) songs during the Manila Sound craze in the 1970s, had insulted the govenor at the recent grand opening of a new hotel in Mandaue City which was attended by many prominent local and national personalities.
“This song is for the most beautiful governor in the Philippines,” Puno reportedly made this introduction to his song as he approached and knelt before Garcia. But as he finished and rose up, came the unexpected question, “Ano ba ‘yan, kay Vicky Belo or Dr. Calayan? [Who’s responsible for that (the governor’s face), Vicky Belo or Dr. Calayan?],” referring to two of the country’s most famous and sought-after cosmetic surgeons. Audience reactions were varied: some booed; others cheered. An apparently peeved Garcia, however, walked out on the event.
“Gov. Garcia, the current occupant of the highest elective office [in] the province of Cebu, should not have been made to endure such [an] embarrassing and humiliating experience, especially from a person who was himself an erstwhile elected public official,” part of the resolution said.