If Vice President Leni Robredo is “non-essential,” her spokesperson said on Thursday, April 1, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III is “pabigat (a liability).”

In a Twitter post, Robredo’s spokesman Ibarra Gutierrez clapped back at Densing for his controversial “Si Lugaw” remark during a One PH interview Wednesday night.

Gutierrez said Densing was the epitome of Duterte administration’s pandemic response for spending more time attacking Robredo rather than attending to the country’s COVID-19-related problems.

“With cases rising, hospitals full, and millions struggling, instead of doing real work he makes ‘jokes,’ plays politics, & bashes someone who's actually doing the job they're supposed to,” he said.

“Di lang ito ‘non-essential.’ Ito ay pabigat (He is not only a non-essential. He is a liability),” Gutierrez stressed.

The DILG official commented on the viral video of a barangay official in San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan who stopped a delivery rider from picking up an order of rice porridge.

This barangay official argued that lugaw was not essential because people live without eating it.

But the rider insisted that lugaw was “essential,” and was therefore allowed under the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on COVID-19 Response for the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) enforced in Bulacan.

“Sabi niya kasi, non-essential si lugaw. Hindi talaga essential si lugaw. Pero kung sinabi niya, essential ang lugaw, ‘yun, tama ‘yun. Ang lugaw. Pero si lugaw ang binanggit niya. Non-essential talaga ‘yun sa pananaw namin (What she said is lugaw is non-essential. Lugaw is really non-essential. But if she said that lugaw is essential, that’s right. The lugaw. But she referred to lugaw. Lugaw is really non-essential in our opinion),” Densing said.

When the video of the exchange went viral, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque clarified that lugaw was essential.

Densing’s “Si Lugaw” remark drew criticisms on social media.

“Trying to sound witty and taking a swipe at VP Leni. Pero naman, you failed miserably. Wala kang self-respect? (You have no self-respect?) If none for yourself, para sa pamilya mo na lang sana (have some for your family). Cheap,” Twitter user @Tom_MD_ said.

“It is laughable that a lot of men in the Du30’s administration including Du30 himself love to demean @lenirobredo. I have not seen so many misogynistic, immature, and insecure men in my life. Your mothers, wives, daughters and granddaughters should be ashamed of all of you,” @DeeCMeyer’s post read.

The topic trended on Twitter and Robredo’s supporters used the same argument to defend the vice president against Densing.