Sara to join Rody on trips to prevent future kissing scenes

MANILA, Philippines — To avoid a repeat of the controversy involving President Duterte’s kissing a Filipina on stage during his official trip to Seoul last week, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has expressed intention to join her father on his next foreign trips.

Speaking at the groundbreaking for the provincial capitol in Davao Occidental yesterday, the mayor said she wants to make sure that such incidents will not happen again.

“Next time, I will join the President’s trips and will spend my own money, just to make sure that the kissing incident will not happen again,” she said in the local dialect. 

It was the first time that the presidential daughter has publicly reacted to Duterte’s kissing of the Filipino woman.

The incident generated negative publicity here and abroad, raising anew questions on Duterte’s lack of respect for women.

Duterte defended his action as a “gimmick,” similar to “showbiz gimmicks.”

Sara’s statement also came following a verbal spat between actress Kris Aquino and Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson.

Sara was displeased that the incident resulted in an argument over social media between Uson and Aquino.

“When I heard that there was an incident in Korea, I thought of writing the Office of the Presidential Management Staff. Can you please, please send me an invitation every time you have events to make sure that Kris Aquino and Mocha Uson will not fight over PRD (President Rodrigo Duterte) again,” she said.

Sara added she did not join Duterte in Seoul to save people’s money but lamented that the incident overshadowed the gains of the President’s three-day official visit to Seoul.

Duterte has publicly acknowledged that he is afraid of his daughter, who has a reputation for being tough, having once punched a sheriff during a tiff in Davao a few years ago.

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