Actress Liza Di帽o, a vocal supporter of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, said the latter should apologize for catcalling a female reporter during a press conference that aired on national television. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Actress Liza Di帽o, a vocal supporter of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, said the latter should apologize for catcalling a female reporter during a press conference that aired on national television.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Di帽o, partner of actress- singer Aiza Seguerra, said Duterte鈥檚 wolf-whistling at GMA-7 reporter Mariz Umali was 鈥渋nappropriate鈥� and warranted an apology.
鈥淚n the same way that I defend him by using his context鈥擧IS CONTEXT鈥攁s his defense to get away with misinterpretations, it is the very same reason why I believe that what he did to Mariz Umali is inappropriate,鈥� Di帽o wrote.
READ: Duterte draws flak for wolf-whistle
鈥淲hether what he did in his own perspective is intentional or not, the fact that the receiver felt it was IMPROPER should be enough reason to warrant an apology. Not necessarily because she was 鈥榟arassed,鈥� or she was 鈥榮exually abused鈥� but because she was OFFENDED. Kahit hindi sinasadya, naoffend sya, so nararapat lang na humingi sya ng dispensa (Even if it wasn鈥檛 intentional, the reporter was offended so it is appropriate that [Duterte] should apologize),鈥� she added.
Di帽o said she was asked by her followers on social media on what she would if she was in Umali鈥檚 shoes, to which she replied: 鈥淲ell, IF I find it offensive, then I would call him out for it on the spot.鈥�
In a press conference last Tuesday evening, Duterte interrupted a question from Umali about his Cabinet appointments and told her that she was trying to get his attention, before wolf-whistling and breaking into a serenade.
READ: Reporter shocked by Duterte鈥檚 catcalling, doesn鈥檛 expect apology
In an interview with her home network, Umali said Duterte鈥檚 remarks 鈥渕ay have been improper鈥� coming from the next chief executive, adding that she was not expecting any apology from his camp. Her husband and fellow reporter Raffy Tima also criticized Duterte for disrespecting her, saying that the President-elect鈥檚 catcalling was 鈥渨rong in so many levels鈥� and 鈥渄efies logic.鈥�
READ: GMA reporter scores Duterte for catcalling wife Mariz Umali
Di帽o said she was not justifying Duterte鈥檚 brash language and remarks to the media, adding that 鈥淒iplomatic-speak is not his best asset.鈥�
鈥淟ook, our president is not perfect. Who is? At one point or another, he鈥檚 bound to make mistakes. But not agreeing with him doesn鈥檛 mean I don鈥檛 support him in the same way that supporting him doesn鈥檛 mean I always have to agree with him,鈥� she said.
In the same press conference, Duterte justified media killings by saying that some journalists deserved to die because they were corrupt. YG/RAM
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