"Is this the legacy they want to leave?"
"Is this the legacy they want to leave?"
Foreign Secretary Teddy Locsin Jr. may have apologized handsomely for calling Vice President Leni Robredo “boba” and saying “someone give her a brain,” but in the minds of many the damage has been done.
He dropped the insult in the wake of his cancellation of courtesy diplomatic passports following former DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario’s recent passport hassle in Hong Kong.
Intense backlash from netizens met Locsin’s hurtful words. Senator Francis Pangilinan scored Locsin for his meanness. But Locsin is not the only government official in this administration with a penchant for salty language.
His boss, President Rodrigo Duterte, is not above cussing when the spirit moves him. Here’s how the Manila Bulletin transcribed his recent remarks on the impeachment issue:
“P******** ninyo gawain ninyo … you f*** with me, kita ko sa inyo kung how not to run properly in government…
“Pero itong mga g*** (But these fools), I said I deal with reality….Takut-takutin ninyo ako ng impeachment, p******subukan niyo….”
In a succeeding paragraph the writer or editor gave up with the asterisks: “Ako na nga nagsasakripisyo dito. Kayong mga p******** ninyo. And I will …” and so on.
We’ve heard the President talk this way time and again. No surprise there, you can’t teach an old dog, etcetera. But I was surprised to find Locsin showing a feudal lord mentality in some of his interactions online.
Run through his Twitter feed and you’ll find him calling people ‘lowborn.’ “Hello, low born moron,” he told someone he was quarreling with on Twitter.
Another time, he was talking to a journalist and told her: “We are not low born. We are different. We are not medjah people. We are writers.”
Last February, speaking again about media people, he tweeted, “This is the ideal of cowardly low born NATIVE [capitals his] journalists who can’t take as good as they dish out.”
Like Duterte, Locsin uses the F word, ‘p********’, and threatens to kill people. However, using ‘sioki’ in a derogatory manner is his own style. I don’t recall him speaking or writing like this before.
It’s either Duterte has no control over his verbal expression, or he’s using this language deliberately. I had expected more of Locsin, an elegant wordsmith and intellectual bon vivant.
It seems that the President has normalized the use of bad language in government, something that was an absolute no-no up to as recent as the previous administration. His spokesman Salvador Panelo explains this away as “It’s just the President’s way, everyone is used to it.”
Back then a statesman was someone upright, worthy of emulation, one who put country and flag above personal concerns. Times have changed when ‘PI’ gets in the paper and no one bats an eye. As the President might say, “It’s freedom of speech.”
Socially offensive language is precisely that—offensive. It might be used as a figure of speech, to emphasize or exaggerate a point, but insults that demean and belittle others—‘lowborn’, ‘gago’—are unkind and disrespectful, not to mention undiplomatic.
It’s also not a good look for a president and cabinet secretary, particularly in front of children. Speaking of which, Baguio City passed an anti-profanity ordinance last Sept. 24, 2018, with the objective of inculcating good values among the people, especially the youth.
"As you know, we are a ‘character city,'” said then-mayor Mauricio Domogan. “This is also for the protection of our children's rights. Nowadays, it seems like cursing and using obscene language is normal."
There you go. That’s what I’m saying. A lot of people have realized that swearing and cussing are now normalized in society.
A Philippine News Agency article on the matter said, “The anti-profanity ordinance is specifically implemented in all schools, computer shops, and other business establishments frequented by children, high school, and college students in the city.”
Sure, but what’s to stop these young people seeing curses online, especially when they‘re reading the news to research current events? And current events that showcase top government officials going, “#$%&*^” and being unkind to others?
Instead of being remembered for good qualities or accomplishments in office, Duterte and Locsin might go down in history for their trash talk. Is this the legacy they want to leave?
It doesn’t take much effort to be kind, but it means a lot to others, and can even change their lives for the better. / FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO