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Actor Robin Padilla, a Muslim convert, has weighed in on the uproar over the costume worn by Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Joey de Leon during the Halloween special of Eat Bulaga.
“In a statement on his Facebook account, Padilla said that there are other issues that need to be focused on such as demanding accountability for the Zamboanga siege or addressing the plight of internally-displaced persons,” reports Inquirer.net.
This is what Padilla wrote: “Kung ang pagbabasehan ng ating pagkamuslim ay ang kasuotan na ito para na rin sinabi na ang lahat ng mga nasa [YouTube] na pagmamalupit at panggagahasa ng mga arabo sa ating mga OFW ay pagkamuslim. Mag ingat tayo mga kapatid sa pagpukol ng puna at bato baka bumalik sa mukha natin at mawalan tayo ng mga mukha. Ang muslim ay hindi Arabo, ang Islam ay mula sa Allah at tanging pag uugali lamang ng propeta muhamad(saw) ang basehan ng ating pagkamuslim hindi kailanman sa kasuotan.”
Translation: “If the basis of our being Muslim is this dress, then it is akin to saying that the abuses toward our [overseas Filipino workers] perpetrated by Arabs that we see on YouTube is what being Muslim is. Let us be careful in hurling criticisms for these might come back to haunt us and cause us to lose face. Being a Muslim is not being an Arab, Islam emanated from Allah and only the character of the Prophet Muhamad (SAW) is the basis of our being Muslim and never our dress.”
The report noted that “Sotto and De Leon were slammed on social media after they appeared in the October 31 episode with a keffiyeh (headdress) and a thawb (long-sleeved garment) usually worn by Arab men.”
In fact, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao governor Mujiv Hataman demanded a public apology from the hosts and producers of Eat Bulaga for the said costume choice.
