Casiño hits Palace for insensitive remarks on human rights victims

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda PHOTO/INQUIRER

MANILA, Philippines — It’s turning out to be a battle of words between the Malacañang and Bayan Muna Partylist Representative Teddy Casino.

The lawmaker on Wednesday hit back anew after his stinging reaction to President Benigno Aquino III’s comment on the Leftist community’s senatorial bet not doing well in recent surveys.

Aquino had earlier told a radio station during his state visit in New Zealand how the leftist community may be very vocal but surveys indicated that its senatorial candidate was not doing too well.

And after Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda pointed to the Left’s failing propaganda as reason and not political pedigree as Casino has earlier put it, the party-list lawmaker has once again fired back.

“It’s nothing personal? Don’t worry about me, I can shrug off the President’s insults anytime,” Casino said in a text message sent to reporters.

He however said that what had him riled up was the Malacañang’s “dismissal of human rights victims’ plight” by saying that the Leftist propaganda has weakened.

He called the statement insensitive towards human rights victims, urging Aquino to not dismiss such issues “as mere Leftist propaganda.”