Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. INQUIRER.NET / CATHY MIRANDA
MANILA, Philippines— “Bullies are the most hated persons in the world,” Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Saturday, as if to explain people’s reactions on viral videos of a kid bullying other kids.
READ: Ateneo bully videos spark outrage
“The reactions are natural tendencies of people. (I) can’t blame them,” Sotto said in a text message.
The Senate leader repeated his sentiment when asked in an interview over DWIZ about some observations that the bully in the viral video has now become the victim of cyberbullying.
“Ginawa mong magnet ‘yung sarili mo e…” said Sotto, who claimed to be the “favorite” victim of cyber bullying.
In a speech at the Senate in 2012, Sotto claimed he was probably the first senator in the Philippines to fall victim to cyberbullying.
“In blogs, Facebook, and Twitter, I became the center of ridicule and malicious attacks from various individuals, especially those backing the RH Bill,” he said, referring to the Reproductive Health bill (RH).
READ: ‘I’m a victim of cyber-bullying’ – Sotto
Six years later, Sotto said he was no longer affected by people bullying him on cyberspace.
“Wala, tinatawanan ko lang ‘yun,” he said.
He even offered suggestions on how to deal with cyberbullying.
“Huwag mong basahin, mag-deactivate ka. Huwag kang mag-FB (Facebook). Huwag kang mag Twitter. Huwag kang mag Instagram. Eh ‘di walang magbu-bully sa’yo,” he pointed out.
Cyberbullying, he said, is nothing compared to bullying that involves physical violence or personal confrontation.
“Cyberbully, wala ‘yun. Hindi mo nabasa ‘yun, wala na ’yon e. It doesn’t matter. I don’t think we should pay attention to the problem of cyberbullying,” Sotto added. /kga