Duterte urged vs using profanity at formal legislative hearings

THERE GOES DECORUM The nation had a fresh dose of the expletive-laden rants of Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, as the former President appeared at the Senate and faced, for the first time since the end of his term, an official body revisiting his bloody war on drugs. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — Two lawmakers called out former President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, urging him to avoid using profanity during formal legislative hearings.

“Refrain from using profanity and inappropriate language in formal legislative hearings,” said the co-chairmen of the House of Representatives quad committee, Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez and Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante.

This came after Duterte, along with his expletive-laden testimonies, appeared before the Senate’s drug war probe on Monday.

“Siguro kung siya ay a private person lang, magsalita siya ng ganyan, magbiro siya, ay okay pa. Pero ‘pag isang dating pangulo ng bansa ay nagbiro ng ganyan… nakakatakot iyan,” Abante said in a statement.

(Perhaps if he were just a private person, speaking and joking like that would be acceptable. But when a former president of the country jokes like that, it’s frightening.)

For his part, Fernandez questioned whether or not anyone from the upper chamber had moved for Duterte’s profanity to be removed from the Senate’s records.

“Nakakahiya tayo… wala man lang nag-stand para i-delete o tanggalin ‘yon sa record ng Senado?” Fernandez said.

(It’s embarrassing for us… isn’t there anyone who will stand up to delete or remove that from the Senate record?)

According to Fernandez, if Duterte spoke in that manner in quad comm hearings, he would ensure it would not make it to the official records.

Earlier, Senate President Chiz Escudero made a categorical stand against the use of profanity in the upper chamber, maintaining that the public should not get used to such language.

READ: Escudero on Duterte’s cursing: Senate will not tolerate it

The Senate chief’s remarks came after Sen. Risa Hontiveros called out Duterte on Monday for spewing profanity during the Senate hearing on the drug war.

Duterte repeatedly used offensive language while explaining his stance against illegal drugs and criminality

READ: Hontiveros calls out Duterte’s profanity at Senate probe 

“Magandang na-point out ‘yun ni Sen. Risa dahil ayaw kong mamanhid ang Senado o ang lipunan o tayong lahat na isipin nating okay lang ‘yun. Hindi okay ‘yun ha,” Escudero told reporters in a Kapihan sa Senado forum on Tuesday.

(It’s good that Sen. Risa pointed that out because I don’t want the Senate, society, or all of us to become desensitized and think that it’s okay. That’s not okay.)