Ces Oreña-Drilon says ‘dedma’ to haters after her ‘no-chill’ mood at Comelec presidential debate makes waves

Veteran broadcaster Ces Oreña-Drilon, who served as moderator in the second round of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) presidential debate on Sunday, has brushed off her haters in the coolest way possible: dedma.

Salamat sa lahat ng nanuod!!! Dedma lang sa haters. pic.twitter.com/p8gOHABjPH

— Ces Oreña-Drilon (@cesdrilon) April 3, 2022

“Thanks to everyone who tuned in! Dedma to the haters,” Oreña-Drilon tweeted.

The broadcaster notably first used the word dedma during the debate on Sunday evening as she described Marcos’ absence at the event.

Dedma is a colloquial word in Filipino that means to ignore, snub, or feign unawareness. The word is derived from the expression patay malisya, which literally translates to “dead malice.” Dedma is a portmanteau of its English translation.

Oreña-Drilon particularly drew praise from online users as she introduced nine of the 10 candidates present for the event at the beginning of the program, without forgetting the debate’s lone no-show, former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Ces Drilon’s Comment regarding BBM’s Appearance in Comelec Debates. NO CHILL MARE!#PiliPinasDebates2022 #TaraNaKayLeni pic.twitter.com/TmrSXxnz7Z

— Hamster (@Hammiewave) April 3, 2022

“Susunod dapat ay si former senator Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., pero hanggang ngayon dedma pa rin siya sa imbitasyon ng Comelec,” she said, as the camera panned to an empty podium.

(Next up should be former senator Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., who had continued to dedma the Comelec’s invitations.)

today we have a new queen and her name is Madam Ces Drilon! #PiliPinasDebates2022

— fredz 🌸 (@99eydo) April 3, 2022

Ces Drilon really stressing the fact that Bongbong lost the opportunity to present to the people his thoughts and stands, and his platforms.

Again, why vote for someone who’s not showing up?

— noah bading (@teneofideIis) April 3, 2022

Yet the former ABS-CBN anchor earned flak from others, notably Marcos supporters, who argued that her pointing to an absent Marcos was “unprofessional.”

Other users defended Oreña-Drilon and said that the journalist was simply stating facts.

“Do not blame Ces Drilon. It’s Marcos who should be called out for being unprofessional. You have to point out that he is absent and chose to insult the Filipinos again by ignoring the Comelec debate. He is at fault here,” one user wrote.

READ: Imee Marcos advises brother Bongbong to attend presidential debates

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