Applause, curses, other Duterte SONA 2019 tidbits

MANILA, Philippines – As in his previous State of the Nation Addresses (SONA) President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his 4th SONA on Monday, July 22, with his characteristic misogynistic statements. (READ: FULL TEXT: President Duterte’s 2019 State of the Nation Address)

Rappler reviewed the entire speech, counted the number of times the President was applauded, and noted how long each round of applause was. (READ: Duterte Promise Checklist: Major accomplishments, failures)

Most applauded statements

In all, Duterte’s 4th SONA was 93 minutes long. For that duration, the audience clapped 41 times. This excludes the applause at the beginning and end of the speech. Of this number, 17 were in relation to statements with a call to action.

Among statements that got applauded were those urging Congress to pass bills such as the reimposition of the death penalty, the creation of departments for water and overseas workers, and the salary standardization law, among others. (READ: LIST: Duterte’s priority bills in SONA 2019)

The longest applause lasted approximately 7.37 seconds. This happened when he cracked a joke about a psychic he knows who supposedly told him that if the Big One hits, the first crack would be in the middle of the Batasan complex.

This was just a split-second longer than the applause over the parts of the speech when he said “the West Philippines Sea is ours,” and the part when he commended Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu’s effort in relation to the Boracay rehabilitation project. These instances earned him 7.33 and 7.32 seconds of applause, respectively. 

The shortest recorded applause lasted approximately 2.02 seconds. This was when the President mentioned that he “will not merely coast along or while away” his time during the remaining years of his term.

Below is the list of occasions arranged thematically when the series of claps happened. These themes are related to policies, accomplishments, mentioned personalities, warnings, remarkable quotes, jokes, and criticisms.

The audience also clapped 4 times when Duterte mixed his speech with Filipino lines – two of which were after he cursed, one when he cracked a joke, and another when he threatened local government units (LGUs).

Sexist remarks, curses

Duterte uttered 3 sexist remarks which elicited laughter thrice. (‘Boracay girls wait for you’: Duterte’s sexist remarks in SONA 2019)

1. “Sabi ko (I said), ‘911.’ ‘Yes.’ ‘What’s your emergency?’ ‘I — I seemed to lost my — to have lost my girlfriend.’ ‘We know you, Mayor.’ ‘You go back to Manila there are plenty left there. Go.'”  

2. “There was this three-day no water. I was in Davao. So everybody was complaining and I was even afraid to come here because what if my girlfriend will not be able to — to take a bath. [laughter] She will smell like hell. So I said, I’ll wait for the water to wash her.”

3. “Naglalakad siya doon sa beach, naka T-shirt na blue and ‘yung mata niya nandoon sa dalawang Caucasian. God damn it, Cimatu, akala ko ba inutusan kita? O, bakit ka palakad-lakad diyan sa beach, tingnan mo ‘yung naka-bikini na dalawang puti.” (He was walking along the beach wearing a blue T-shirt and he was eyeing two Caucasians. God damn it, Cimatu, I thought I sent you on an errand.)

Aside from these, he also used vulgar words in the middle of his ad-libs. 

 

Below are the instances when he used profanity:

1. On urging Filipinos to be assertive against extortion in LGU’s

“Make a scene. Sampalin mo ‘yang putang ina na ‘yan. (Slap that son of a bitch) [laughter] Kasi aabot rin sa akin ‘yan (Because that will reach me).” [applause] 

“Pinapakain ko ng pera ‘yang mga yawa na ‘yan. Eh galit na ako sa inyo eh. Kindly be assertive. Pagka hiningian ka, sabihin mo, “Tangina mo. Sabi ni Duterte, the President told us, that if you extort money from me, I will slap you.”

(I am feeding that son of a bitch with money. I’m angry at you. Kindly be assertive. If they ask you, tell them, “You son of a bitch. Duterte said, the President told us, that if you extort money from me, I will slap you.”)

2. On the joke that Cimatu was spotted in Boracay

“Goddamn it, Cimatu. Akala ko ba inutusan kita? Yes, sir. O bakit ka nagpalakad-lakad diyan sa beach tinitingnan mo ‘yung naka-bikini na dalawang puti?” (Goddamn it, Cimatu, I thought I sent you on an errand? Why are you strolling around the beach, looking at those two white women wearing bikinis?) 

3. On Nayong Pilipino

“Kaya ko nagsabi ‘tang ina ninyo. Anong kahulugan ng Nayong Pilipino kung lagyan mo ng sugalan and without a bidding?” (The reason why I said son of a bitch. What is Nayong Filipino for if you put gambling and without bidding?) 

Favorite people

Among the personalities the President mentioned, his former top aide, newly-elected senator Bong Go appeared to be the President’s favorite because he was mentioned 8 times. In fact, Duterte was applauded twice when he brought up the neophyte senator’s “honest” testimony on the controversial frigates deal and his priority bills in the Senate (READ: Still special: Duterte highlights Bong Go, his pet bills in SONA 2019)

The President’s popularity among Filipinos remains despite the controversies he has faced in his first 3 years in office. (READ: [ANALYSIS] Why is Duterte still so popular?) – with reports from Glenda Marie Castro and Yusof Marohombsar/Rappler.com

 

For highlights of President Duterte’s 4th SONA, check out our live blog.

For related stories, visit Rappler’s 2019 State of the Nation Address page.

Rappler takes a deeper look at the first half of Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency – its highs and lows, its achievements and shortcomings: 

Duterte Year 3: The Halfway Mark