DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda (File photo by HENZBERG AUSTRIA / Senate Public Information and Relations Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — The Geographic Society of the University of the Philippines (UP GeogSoc) is calling for the resignation of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary Benny Antiporda over his “bayaran kayo” remark against UP experts.
The Geographic Society of the University of the Philippines is a non-profit non-partisan academic organization composed of undergraduate students dedicated to promoting the discipline of Geography in the Philippines.
Antiporda earlier told UP Marine Science Institute experts that they have no right to criticize the Manila Bay rehabilitation project as they are “bayaran” (paid).
The UP GeogSoc said it found Antiporda’s remarks and behavior “unacceptable for a government official” especially an official from the DENR.
It also dubbed as “disappointing” Antiporda’s “anti-science sentiment.”
“Considering your ill-fitting background for the job as well as your disregard for the opinions of other Filipino scientists, we call on you to formally retract your statements against the UP MSI and to resign from your position as undersecretary,” the UP GeogSoc said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The DENR needs a spokesperson who, instead of antagonizing homegrown scientists, articulately expresses and explains the department’s goals and policies, moreover this country deserves a DENR Undersecretary who is credible, responsive, and committed to protecting, conserving, and managing our environment and natural resources,” it added
Antiporda has apologized to UP for his “bayaran ka” remark directed at the institution’s experts.
“I would like to start my statement with an apology to the UP as a whole. First, it is not intended to destroy the good name of the university itself,” Antiporda said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel.