Viral Photo: Did U.S. President Obama Really Say He Didn’t Want to See the Philippine President’s Controversial Sister?
Naughty Filipino minds are at work again, and this time the object of their memes is the controversial sister of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, TV host and actress Kris Aquino.
On Monday, the day that the Mr Aquino welcomed U.S. President Barack Obama in his first state visit to the Philippines, a photo from satire Web site So, What's News? was posted in Twitter and elicited a lot of laughter from netizens.
Mimicking a screen grab of a local newscast (https://twitter.com/SoWhatsNews/status/460672253290479616), the photo showed Mr Obama talking to Mr Aquino with the caption: "Obama: I don't wanna see Kris. Period."
The image was retweeted several times in the popular microblogging site and also posted in Facebook.
Some of the comments include the following:
"I hope Kris Aquino does not embarrass herself infront of her brother and President Obama at the state dinner." - Therese ty@sointhereseting
"I can just imagine Kris Aquino saying 'brother let me naman interview president Barack Obama' oh god forbid, please no." - Ericka Villongco @erickaxx
"no to Kris Aquino meeting Obama please ... don't let it be like the Spiderman cast interview in SG." - nonnie @myanonymousID
The humorous but violent reaction of Filipinos is not without basis because many perceive the youngest presidential sister as talking too much about her personal life that she has embarrassed the family several times.
Her recent disclosure that she is in a love affair with Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, only to retract by saying they are just the best of friends, is the basis for people being afraid she might commit a gaffe in front of Mr Obama.
But as a proof that the photo is a satire, ABS-CBN reported that (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/04/28/14/obama-us-will-defend-ph) all four Aquino sisters were present in the state dinner for the U.S. president.
But a local tabloid reported that when the loquacious presidential sibling was asked to comment on her effigy being burned by protesters against the Cojuangco clan's Hacienda Luisita partly owned by the president's family, Kris joked that she is now on the same level as Mr Obama whose effigy was burned on Monday by anti-U.S. protesters.
Read also: Anti-U.S. Protesters in Manila Burn Effigy of President Obama
But Mr Obama, in fact, talked about another Cris - the executive chef of the White House - which is why he is familiar with the Filipino cuisine served at the state dinner.
"There is one in particular I am grateful for. Cris Comerford, our executive chef in the White House. Cris was born in Manila. She still has family here. Thanks to her we, in the White House, enjoy the occasional lumpia and adobo," ABS-CBN quoted Mr Obama.