MANILA, Philippines — For as low as P900, one may appear as President Duterte this Halloween.
Several online sites are selling masks that show the likeness of the President.
The cheapest, worth P900, is being sold at online marketplace Carousell, which recently merged with Philippine-based OLX.
The plastic mask, uploaded by a seller from San Juan,
was lumped with masks featuring the likenesses of US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Sen. Manny Pacquiao.
Plastic masks of American actors Samuel Jackson and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, known for playing Jaime Lannister in the popular “Game of Thrones” series, are also available along with those of fictional killers Hannibal Lecter and Jason Voorhees of the “Friday the 13th” franchise.
A more expensive Duterte mask, made of latex, is also available on Amazon and
Ebay.
The Amazon listing, uploaded in 2017, costs $32.99 (around P1,649.50 at a P50 exchange rate).
The mask is described as a “quality latex mask
” with “excellent realistic craftsmanship.”
Only one mask is left in stock as of this writing.
The item sold by
Caili’s Company, however, cannot
be shipped to the Philippines, based on the listing.
A similar item is also being sold on
Ebay, priced at $30.58 (around P1,529). Shipping to the Philippines would cost the buyer an additional $22.94 (around P1,147).
The
Ebay listing notes that one Duterte mask has already
been bought, while nine are still available.
It was uploaded by a seller, based in Hong Kong, who also sells latex masks of Putin and Kim, among other items.
Malacañang was not offended by the masks and even viewed it as a reflection of Duterte’s popularity.
“Amusing… It means he has arrived,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said yesterday.
“If you are everyone’s topic, it means you have arrived; otherwise, they won’t mind you,” Panelo added.
“When informed that the company selling the Duterte latex mask is also selling masks depicting scary creatures, Panelo said:
“(The President) is also scaring criminals.”