The Issues Between Vice Ganda and Senator Rodante Marcoleta

Public tension between Vice Ganda and Senator Rodante Marcoleta did not come from one isolated moment. It grew from a mix of politics, media-franchise controversy, comedy, and public reactions to jokes. For readers following vice ganda news, the story is best understood as a series of flashpoints where vice ganda comedy crossed into political territory — and where Marcoleta, a prominent critic of ABS-CBN, became part of the punchline.

Below are the main issues that created tension between them.

1. The ABS-CBN franchise controversy put them on opposite sides

The earliest major source of tension was the ABS-CBN franchise issue. Vice Ganda is strongly identified with ABS-CBN through programs like It’s Showtime, while Marcoleta became one of the most visible lawmakers questioning the network during the 2020 franchise hearings.

On July 10, 2020, the House Committee on Legislative Franchises denied ABS-CBN’s franchise application in a 70-11 vote, a decision that deeply affected the network’s free TV and radio operations. For many Kapamilya supporters and artists, Marcoleta became associated with the political push against ABS-CBN. (gmanetwork.com)

This created the larger backdrop: Vice was a major ABS-CBN personality, while Marcoleta was a leading critic of the company that helped shape Vice’s mainstream career.

2. Marcoleta used Vice Ganda’s Quiboloy joke during a congressional hearing

The issue became more personal when Marcoleta played an old clip of Vice Ganda joking about Pastor Apollo Quiboloy during the May 26, 2020 ABS-CBN franchise hearing. According to PEP.ph, Marcoleta ended his speech against granting ABS-CBN a new franchise by playing Vice’s joke about Quiboloy. (pep.ph)

That moment mattered because a comedy segment from a noontime show was brought into a formal congressional proceeding. To Vice’s supporters, it looked like entertainment material was being used to strengthen a political argument against ABS-CBN. To Marcoleta’s side, it was part of questioning the network’s content and accountability.

3. Vice Ganda fired back on social media

After Marcoleta used the clip, Vice reacted on Twitter with a joke aimed at the lawmaker. PEP.ph reported Vice’s line: “Take the congressman as a joke.” (pep.ph)

That response turned the situation from a network-versus-Congress issue into a direct public exchange. Vice did not just defend the joke; he turned Marcoleta himself into the subject of humor. This helped establish the tension between them as both political and personal.

4. The franchise denial became part of the emotional context for Kapamilya artists and fans

The denial of ABS-CBN’s franchise was not just a legal or business issue. It became an emotional moment for employees, artists, viewers, and fans who saw the network as part of their daily lives. Because Vice Ganda was one of ABS-CBN’s biggest stars, the shutdown and franchise denial inevitably became part of the public’s reading of his later jokes about Marcoleta.

In other words, when Vice later mentioned Marcoleta in comedy material, many viewers understood it against the history of ABS-CBN losing its franchise. That is why some audiences saw the jokes as political payback, while others viewed them as normal satire.

5. Marcoleta continued criticizing ABS-CBN even after the 2020 franchise denial

The tension did not end in 2020. In 2022, Marcoleta again criticized ABS-CBN in relation to its proposed partnership with TV5. GMA News reported that he described the ABS-CBN-TV5 partnership as a possible “circumvention” after Congress had denied ABS-CBN’s franchise. (gmanetwork.com)

In another GMA News report, Marcoleta said the TV5 deal “left a bad taste” and raised constitutional and franchise-related objections, while ABS-CBN had denied franchise violations. (gmanetwork.com)

This kept Marcoleta linked to ABS-CBN controversies in the public eye. For Vice Ganda’s audience, it reinforced the perception that Marcoleta was not only involved in the original franchise fight but continued to challenge the network’s attempts to operate through new arrangements.

6. Vice Ganda’s concert joke about Marcoleta’s face reignited the issue

Years later, the tension resurfaced because of a joke from a concert setting. GMA News reported in August 2025 that Marcoleta expressed anger over a joke about his face that had gone viral. The report said Marcoleta did not name the person, but a video of Vice Ganda joking about the senator had circulated online. (gmanetwork.com)

This moment moved the issue into the vice ganda tour and concert-performance space. It showed how political jokes can travel beyond TV and social media into live entertainment, where punchlines can quickly become national news once clips are posted online.

7. Marcoleta publicly called out the joke in a government setting

Marcoleta’s reaction also intensified the tension. During a committee hearing, he complained that he had been dragged into the joke and called the person behind it “napaka walang hiya,” according to GMA News. (gmanetwork.com)

Because the reaction happened in a formal setting, the issue gained more weight. What might have remained as a comedy-show controversy became a public rebuke from a sitting senator. That made the exchange bigger than entertainment gossip; it became part of political and cultural discussion.

8. The joke touched on a bigger debate about political comedy

A key issue between Vice Ganda and Marcoleta is the boundary of political humor. Vice’s style has long included quick punchlines, teasing, exaggeration, and jokes about public figures. For fans of vice ganda comedy, that sharpness is part of the appeal.

But Marcoleta’s reaction showed the other side of the debate: when does a joke about a politician become disrespectful, personal, or unnecessary? The tension grew because the joke was not only about policy or politics; it reportedly involved Marcoleta’s appearance. That made it easier for critics to call it below-the-belt, while supporters argued that politicians are fair subjects for satire.

9. The wider Duterte-related “jet ski holiday” backlash added political heat

The same 2025 comedy moment also drew attention because Vice Ganda made a joke that appeared to reference former President Rodrigo Duterte. GMA News reported that Vice referred to a “jet ski holiday” and that the Davao City Council condemned the joke. (gmanetwork.com)

This mattered because the controversy was not only about Marcoleta’s face. It unfolded in a politically charged environment involving Duterte supporters, online backlash, and debates about whether comedians should joke about national political figures. That wider backlash likely made the Marcoleta-related joke feel more explosive.

10. Viral clips and online camps amplified the conflict

Another issue is how quickly the moments spread online. The 2020 congressional clip, Vice’s social media response, and the 2025 concert video all gained attention beyond their original setting. Once short clips circulated, audiences reacted based on their existing loyalties: Kapamilya versus anti-ABS-CBN, Vice fans versus critics, and pro-satire versus anti-personal-insult camps.

That online amplification turned the tension into a recurring public storyline. Each new clip revived older grievances, especially the ABS-CBN franchise issue.

11. Their conflict reflects a clash of roles

At the heart of the tension is a clash between two public roles:

1. Vice Ganda as comedian and entertainer Vice uses humor, exaggeration, and punchlines to comment on people and events.
2. Marcoleta as lawmaker and political figure Marcoleta participates in hearings, policy debates, and public accountability discussions.

When a comedian makes a politician part of the joke, it can be seen as satire. When a politician responds in a public hearing, it can be seen as defending dignity — or as giving the joke more attention. That clash helped keep the issue alive.

12. There is no need to reduce it to one single feud

The issue between Vice Ganda and Senator Rodante Marcoleta is better understood as a chain of tensions:

• The ABS-CBN franchise fight
• Marcoleta’s use of Vice’s Quiboloy joke in Congress
• Vice’s social media clapback
• Marcoleta’s continuing criticism of ABS-CBN-related deals
• Vice’s later concert joke about Marcoleta
• Marcoleta’s public reaction
• The broader debate over political humor, respect, and satire

So, the tension is not just about one joke. It is about years of overlapping conflict between comedy, politics, ABS-CBN’s franchise history, and the power of viral public commentary.