Locsin: It’s my patriotic duty to stop stupidity

MANILA, Philippines – Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Wednesday said it is his “patriotic duty” to stop stupidity which he tagged as the “greatest threat to our country” and as such will maintain his presence on social media.

Locsin said he would not take a break from Twitter even after he recently drew flak for calling Vice President Leni Robredo “boba” (stupid) over her comments on the cancellation of diplomatic passports.

READ: Locsin calls Robredo ‘boba’ and asks someone to ‘give her a brain’
 

READ: Locsin to Robredo: Sorry, sorry, sorry… ‘at your service, Ma’am’

“I have this obligation which was inculcated to me by my father and while working in the free press, that I cannot allow stupidity to flourish.  When it lies in my power to do something about it, I feel it is my patriotic duty to stop stupidity. It is the greatest threat to our country,” Locsin said in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel.

Though he has already apologized to Robredo over his “boba” remark, Locsin said he has not reached out to the Vice President.

“As far as I am concerned, if I was her I wouldn’t accept me reaching out to her. I never fool myself. When I do wrong, then I do wrong,” he said.

Locsin, known for his tough-talking persona, also agreed that there have been lessons learned because he is just a “human.”

“I keep learning those lessons and unlearning them because suddenly I encounter, how politely can I put it, I encounter less than the intelligence I expect from a human being. Then I blow up. Sometimes, I don’t. I let it go,” he said.

“I do know this–that using insults is a fast way of getting it off your chest–but on the other hand, explaining it without calling someone out as you know and explaining why I should really be calling you know…is actually more effective but sometimes, well, I am only human,” he added.  (Editor: Gilbert S. Gaviola)