With 'hipon' episode behind them, Ramon Bautista, Davao City Mayor Duterte make peace

(Updated 8:02 a.m., Aug. 28) Is this a sign that comedian Ramon Bautista could soon be forgiven by the people of Davao City?

 

Bautista on Wednesday evening posted a photo of a handwritten note from Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, with the message "Mabuhay ka!"

 

He also posted on his Instagram account a photo of the mayor signing the note.

 

 

"Ramon, si Rodrigo ito," Bautista recalled the mayor telling him.

 

"Tapos nag-usap kami... and there was peace <3" he added.

 

Bautista then ended his post with hashtags #MabuhayKaRinMayor, #RespectForThisCoolGuy, #LoveFriendshipAndGoodwill, and #WorldPeace.

 

The comedian thanked RockEd founder Gang Badoy, a friend of his, "for making it happen." She had recently been on a visit to Davao City, where she paid a courtesy call on Duterte.

 

Persona non grata

 

Last August 19, the Davao City council passed a resolution declaring Bautista persona non grata following a joke he made about women in the city.

 

The comedian got into hot water when he made a joke at the Kadayawan Festival that called women of Davao City "hipon," a Filipino pejorative referring to women with beautiful bodies but unattractive faces.

 

Bautista apologized both on stage after the incident and on his Twitter account. But that wasn't enough to stop the Davao City council from making the declaration.

 

But even before the resolution, Duterte said that he had moved on from the issue, adding that Bautista was "always welcome" in his turf.

 

"Para sa akin tapos na. Ang taong naghingi ng patawad has humbled himself to admit that it was wrong, that's the end of it," he said last week. — Joel Locsin/JST/KG, GMA News