Netizens react as Davao City reprimands Ramon Bautista

Ramon Bautista. YouTube screengrab

MANILA, Philippines—Was the punishment of the Davao City Council on Ramon Bautista too harsh or did the comedian merit the persona non grata tag?

Celebrities and ordinary netizens took to their Twitter accounts to react to Davao City local government’s decision to declare Bautista persona non grata just days after he joked in a Kadayawan Festival celebration that women in Davao City are ‘hipon.’

Hipon (or shrimp) is a slang term used to describe an individual who only has an attractive body, and not an appealing face.

Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Mohan Gumatay (also known as DJ Mo Twister), and internet personality Kimpoy Feliciano said that the decision was too much and said that a joke should be treated as a joke.

Some netizens, however, affirmed the decision of the city council, stating that the joke was offensive. Some also made remarks about Bautista’s physical appearance.

Other netizens poked fun at the situation, such as TV5 news anchor Lourd De Veyra when he said that tuna—not  ‘shrimp’—are the ones that can be found aplenty in Davao.

Bautista has repeatedly apologized for his deed and even used the social media to express his apologies. He also said through Twitter on Tuesday that he accepts the decision of the council.

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