Bips-filled 'Gikan' back on Sunday morning TV

DABAWENYOS were once again glued to their favorite Sunday television show with their favorite "television personality" doing what he has been filling Sunday morning television viewing with for the past several years -- curse.

Davao City Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was back in fighting form on his television show "Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa" Sunday, spewing out a total of 29 bips or censored cuss-words on television as he ranted at the police hierarchy he blamed for the low morale of policemen.

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The vice mayor was castigating the police hierarchy for requiring policemen who are off duty to leave their guns, which he said, resulted in the death of the policeman who was riding a Rural Transit Bus that was held up along the Bukidnon-Davao highway last week.

Calling the police generals who made such rule "utak bolinao" (or small brained), Duterte said making policemen go home unarmed is a stupid rule, especially when they are assigned in areas where risks to their lives are high.

Incidentally, SPO1 Ronie Panganiban of the Marilog Police Station was in uniform and armed when shot dead by the robbers around 8 p.m. of September 1.

The robbers killed Panganiban first before proceeding to divest the passengers of their valuables. Panganiban was seated in the middle part of the bus, while a policewoman PO2 Diamela Bargayo, who was in civilian clothes was seated at the back and thus escaped unharmed.

"Gikan" has been enjoying high ratings since it started airing several years back, but only if it was Duterte who is the one being interviewed.

Dabawenyos have thus made it a habit to turn on their televisions every Sunday morning to listen to their mayor and cheer him on as he rants at issues and persons who have caused problems in the city.

The show through those years was funded by the City Government.

But since Duterte became vice mayor, the show on ABS-CBN was pulled out and was instead aired on a cable channel starting July, which was not accessible to those who have no cable TV subscription.

The show aired again on ABS-CBN starting the other Sunday, but this time with two commercial gaps to pay for the air time. (SAE)