MANILA – Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary Benhur Abalos pleaded to the public not to judge him because of his viral picture with dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo.
Abalos reiterated that the picture of him and Philippine National Police chief Rommel Marbil with Guo was taken as part of documentation and not them having a good time with the former mayor.
“If you are going to judge my character just because of one picture, huwag naman ganoon, huwag naman ganoon,””Abalos said in a media forum over the weekend.
He added:
Pinaliwanag ko, iyong picture na iyon was taken for documentation, dapat ‘no kasi nga iyong ano…hindi ko alam kung, I have no idea na nagpapa-cute pala ang katabi ko.”
“If you’re going to notice that picture, it was not a selfie ha. Inuulit ko, it was not a selfie. Kinunan po kami, nakatingin ako sa camera,” said Abalos, who is mulling to run for a Senate seat next year.
Abalos and Marbil drew flak from netizens after a picture of them with a candid-looking Guo was released publicly by the National Bureau of Investigation on Thursday.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who was spearheading the Senate probe against Guo, called out Abalos and other government officials for treating the former mayor like a celebrity.
“We want answers, not a photo shoot. Matapos niyang makipag-taguan sa batas, ginawa namang fan-meet nitong si Alice Guo ang pagkakaaresto niya. Kulang na lang red carpet,” Hontiveros said.
She added: “Isang paalala rin sa ating mga kasamahan sa gobyerno, hindi dapat ginagawang social event ang pag-aresto sa isang puganteng sangkot sa patong-patong na kaso.”
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., for his part, defended Abalos, Marbil, and other government officials for having their pictures taken with Guo, saying it was part of the “new culture”.
“Ang tawag natin sa Pilipinas, we are the selfie capital of the world ‘di ba? Oh ‘di nag-selfie, eh, hindi mo naman mapigilan ang tao na ngumiti... They just had a selfie, I don’t think there’s more to it than that,” Marcos said./PN
