I thought he couldn’t say or do anything dumber after that infamous plagiarism issue, but Senator Tito Sotto proved me wrong.
His latest imbecilic pronouncement was at DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo’s confirmation hearing the other day, when he mocked her personal life.
“Sotto: On the lighter side, Senator Drilon and I have been looking at the personal information about you. You have two children—daughters ba or sons?
Sec Judy: Yes, two daughters.
Sotto: Two daughters. But you’re single? *room laughs*
Sec Judy: My life has never been a normal one. I never had the whole mother-father-children kind of thing except when I was growing up in Bacolod. From 1972 until 1986, I led a life underground or in prison.
Sotto: In the street language, if you have children and then you are single, ang tawag dun e ‘na-ano lang.’ *more laughter*
Sec Judy: Senator Sotto, I teach women’s studies. We respect all kinds of families, and that includes solo parents. Thank you.”
Sotto’s comments were deeply offensive and out of line. They were irrelevant to the matter at hand and were totally unnecessary and uncalled-for.
I commend Sec. Taguiwalo for keeping her temper and still returning a gracious reply that should sting Sotto if he had any delicadeza, which he does not.
Also reprehensible are the people who laughed at Sotto’s disgusting sallies. It shows just how many are still mired in the muck of the patriarchal mindset that rules society and makes the VAWC law necessary.
For a senator, one of the highest in the land to treat with such insufferable smugness and rudeness a professional and a fellow human being shows the murk of his sexist and chauvinist attitudes. His conduct was unbecoming of a statesman and a gentleman. The latter he certainly is not—just look to his past for all the times he objectified women and treated them as mere adjuncts of men.
Not too long ago, he shamed a female contestant on a TV show for wearing shorts in the company of male friends during a drinking session. That’s unfair and unreasonable. Just as men may wear anything they like so can women. The onus is on men—on other people—to behave themselves and refrain from harming others for any reason, least of all the way they are clad.
Also offensive is the phrase Sotto used to Taguiwalo-—‘na-ano lang.’ That is sick. Sotto prides himself as coming from a good family, but the way he acts, he seems to have been brought up without any manners, not knowing respect, kindness, and compassion for others.
Sadly, he has still fooled a goodly number of voters who voted for him in spite of his track record of bungling incompetence and intolerance of those who do not subscribe to his narrow-minded norms. He couldn’t even discern that his remarks were out of place and had nothing to do with the topic. Question the qualifications of the candidate, yes—mock or shame their personal life, no.
Sotto ill befits the stature and position of senator. He will not change his mindset nor his ways —remember how he had the gall to defend his plagiarism, instead of apologizing for it? His behavior reinforces the worst in society, and scarily, has the power to influence young people and make some of them believe that this is the way things should be. It’s incomprehensible how he is still in a position of authority. He doesn’t have the gravitas nor the values to deserve the prestige of his position.
Sotto’s mockery of Taguiwalo was a slap in the face to single mothers and all women including the female members of his family. It’s impossible that he doesn’t have family or friends who are single mothers. Well, now they know what he really thinks of them—‘na-ano lang.’
This kind of thinking sets women back. This kind of thinking sets all Filipinos, and all humans, back. This is one of the reasons we lag in societal development. When such a strong and self-sufficient sector of society—single parents—are mocked and shamed on national media and in the hallowed chambers of the Senate, by a senator, what respect is there for others in similarly challenging circumstances?
In this instance, shame should rest on Tito Sotto, not Judy Taguiwalo. ‘Na-ano’ lang din ang bansa when he was elected.