By Vanne Elaine Terrazola
The Philippines' top diplomat is still a human being, after all.
This was Senate President Vicente Sotto III's take when he came to the defense of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, who confronted protesters outside the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) office in Pasay City on Friday.
Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III (Alvin Kasiban / MANILA BULLETIN)
Sotto, a friend of Locsin, said he cannot blame the DFA chief for his behavior in front of members of pro-overseas workers group Migrante International and other progressive groups, as he thought that the former was "provoked."
"He is a human being. Tao siya eh, eh iniinis niyo, eh (He is human, and you were provoking him)...What do they expect?" Sotto said when asked to comment over DWIZ radio Saturday.
The Senate leader said he knows Locsin as a "level-headed" person, but also as someone who will not brush aside insults.
"Ibahin niyo 'yon (Locsin), 'di lahat ng tao puwedeng maging malambot sa inyo kung ginagalit niyo (He is different, not all people will be kind to you if you are provoking them)...I can't blame him," Sotto said.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said he also saw nothing wrong with Locsin's encounter with the protesters.
"Nakita ko naman ang kanyang pagkompronta. Para sa akin, 'di ito paaway kundi para makausap at magkaroon ng open communication. Wala namang masamang insidente. Tingin ko naman sa itsura ng kalihim 'di nya intensyong makipag-away, gusto lang niya pakita sarili, madaling maabot, at 'di naman ganoon ang ugali ng ating kalihim," he said in a separate interview also on DWIZ.
(I saw the way he confronted the protesters. For me, he was not picking a fight but was only seeking open communication. There was no untoward incident. I think the Secretary did not intend to pick a fight, he wanted to show that he is approachable and that is not the character of our Secretary.)
The progressive groups trooped to the DFA on Friday to call on the government to ensure the safety of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Middle East, following the death of a Filipina OFW in Kuwait and the tension between the United States and Iran.
Locsin, with other DFA officials and security escorts, showed up and attempted to grab the microphone from a protester who speaking at the time.
When they refused to let him speak, a fuming Locsin dared the protesters to beat him up.
He later addressed the groups' concerns, reassuring them that the government will shoulder the expenses and make sure that the OFWs in Iraq are safe during their repatriation to the Philippines.
The DFA earlier ordered the mandatory evacuation of Filipinos in Iraq following the reported attacks on the U.S. bases there by Iran in retaliation for the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.