Tito Sotto unapologetic over uproar caused by Arab costume

Screenshot from Eat-Bulaga’s Instagram account

REELECTIONIST Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said that he has nothing to apologize over the uproar caused by the Arab costume he wore during the Halloween special of “Eat, Bulaga!” last October 31.

The senator said that those who were offended of seeing him wear a keffiyeh (headdress) and a thawb (ankle-length, long-sleeved garment) have “misplaced sensitivities.”

“Others wear priests’, nuns’ and even the Pope’s outfits, and as long as you are not disrespecting what you wear, there is nothing wrong. I suggest the people complaining should find out more about the origin of Halloween so they will not have misplaced sensitivities,” he said.

In a comment on an Instagram post, he said that the keffiyeh and thawb came from his friend Sheikh Shawaf of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“He likes it every time I get a chance to wear it. I wear it to honor him,” he said on Instagram.

During the Halloween special, Sotto and co-host Joey de Leon both wore a keffiyeh and a thawb.

In a statement, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) Governor Mujiv Hataman demanded that Sotto and de Leon and the show’s producers issue a public apology to the Muslim community for portraying Muslims as “troublemakers.”

“What ‘Eat, Bulaga!’ did in its Halloween special was a mockery of and an affront to the image of the Muslim, apparently in the name of entertainment,” Hataman said. AJH