THAT ‘MADAM SECRETARY’ PACKS A PUNCH
The US Secretary of State slaps the Philippine President… but only in the fictional show Madam Secretary.
In the promo for the next episode of the American show titled “Break in Diplomacy,” the Philippine President, which Rappler reported to be named Datu Andrada, makes a pass at US Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord played by Tea Leoni.
The 20-second trailer shows McCord a little bit uncomfortable with Andrada. At one point, Andrada walks behind McCord, who was bending down on her desk. The next thing the trailer shows is a shot of McCord punching Andrada, whose nose starts to bleed.
“I clobbered a world leader instead of saving a major regional agreement,” McCord, in another scene, tells husband Henry McCord, played by Tim Daly.
The Philippines was not amused by the portrayal of a Philippine leader.
“The Philippine embassy in Washington DC wrote to CBS Corporation today (Monday) to strongly protest the highly negative depiction of a character purported to be the Philippine president in the next episode of the TV series Madam Secretary,” the Philippine Embassy said.
“While Madam Secretary is a work of fiction, it tracks and mir- rors current events. It is, therefore, inevitable that its depiction of world leaders will have an impact on how its audience views the real personages and the countries they represent,” the statement continued.
Among the controversies hounding Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is the way he talks about women. He once made a joke about “raping” a dead Australian rape victim during his presidential campaign, and catcalled a reporter shortly after he won the presidency. As president, he made a joke about looking at Vice President Leni Robredo's legs.
“This highly negative portrayal of our head of state not only casts doubt on the respectability of the Office of the Philippine President but also denigrates the way our nation navigates foreign affairs. It also tarnishes the Philippines' longstanding advocacy for women's rights and gender equality,” the embassy added.
Madam Secretary airs every Tuesday night on Sony Channel Asia in the Philippines.