GK founder Antonio “Tony” Meloto Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
The founder of Gawad Kalinga who came under fire over his alleged sexist speech which he delivered last month has aired his side on the issue.
In a series of tweets early Tuesday morning, Tony Meloto said that his speech drew “enthusiastic and positive” response from the audience.
He also decried being branded as a “sexist and elitist.”
BACKSTORY: Filipinas to lure investors to PH? Gawad Kalinga’s Tony Meloto hit for ‘sexist’ remarks
“1st time to be called ‘ sexist &elitist’ after 20 yrs of honoring our women & caring for the poor, after hundreds of speeches here & abroad,” Meloto said.
Responding to a query of a Twitter user as to why he is being slammed online, Meloto said: “the immediate response (to the speech) was enthusiastic &positive,including inspiring newspaper articles of my speech.”
Meloto said that it had been 45 days since he delivered the “sexist” speech before academicians and community leaders during the 40th anniversary of the Center for Philippine Studies (CPS) at the University of Hawaii-Manoa.
Last Saturday, the CPS released a statement slamming Meloto for his “disturbing” speech.
“What was most disturbing about his speech was his sexism. His belief that the ‘greatest asset of the Philippines is our beautiful women,’ and that the future of the nation can be advanced by using them to attract the ‘best and brightest’ men from the West, and enticing them to invest in the Philippines, was outrageously sexist and deeply offensive to everybody in the audience, as well as patronizing and disrespectful to Filipino women in particular,” the CPS statement read.
Meloto was hit for urging Filipinas to produce “cappuccino” children with white husbands.
“Mr. Meloto went on to share his views on the need for Filipino women and their white husbands to produce what Mr. Meloto (apparently humorously) called ‘cappuccinos,’ and appeared to present such a policy of seduction and reproduction as a solution to the problems of economic development in the Philippines,” the statement added.
The CPS said that Meloto’s remarks drew nervous laughter from the crowd and forced some members of the audience walk out of the venue.
Aside from his supposed sexist remarks, the renowned social entrepreneur was scored for describing the Philippines as “broken” and poor Filipinos as “hopeless and violent.”
The CPS claimed responsibility over the incident and has apologized to those who felt offended by Meloto’s speech.
Meloto has won accolades for his pro-poor initiatives, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 2006. AJH/CB