It was past midnight and this Philippine government official was still stuck in a meeting, so she started doing her beauty regimen in front of her staff.
Liza Diño, the chair of government agency Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), was sharply criticized by netizens for wearing a facial sheet mask during an official meeting.
Diño, a staunch supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte, posted pictures of herself on Facebook earlier this week. The photos show her wearing the mask while speaking to her team, with her legs curled up on her chair.
In one of the posts, she wrote: “‘Multitasking’ while discussing the last agenda of the day.”
In another, she wrote: “Love often wears a mask in order to test loyalty. #matiramatibay [toughest person standing]”
Majority of her Facebook followers and friends were amused by the photos, but comments on Twitter thought the act was unbecoming of a government official.
Twitter user @MiaMagdalena called it “unprofessional.”
https://twitter.com/MiaMagdalena/status/1013987661638324225
One user, presumably a staff member of the FDCP, replied to @MiaMagdalena and said the meeting occurred way past midnight and that Diño was just trying to boost her team’s morale.
Manang @MiaMagdalena this was 2am and they were working late on a project. She did this to humor her staff, all of which did not want to go home yet because they were dedicated to their jobs 😊
— Raqs Regalado (@raqsinabox) July 3, 2018
The FDCP chair also defended herself from the critical Twitter user and pointed out that the photos were posted on her personal account.
This was a staged photo posted on my PERSONAL page. Dear, you might want to check first before making assumptions.
— Liza Dino-Seguerra (@lizadino) July 3, 2018
Yet the explanation didn’t satisfy @MiaMagdalena.
Hello, Ms. Diño. You were working. You were goofing off. You posted it Publicly. You are head of the FDCP. You work for us, the People. There are those of us not impressed by this particular stunt. These thoughts are based on the photos and captions.
— Miss Maggie (@MiaMagdalena) July 3, 2018
Another user said he wasn’t buying Diño’s “bullsh*t of an excuse.” He added: “Please, government officials, please stop thinking that Filipinos are stupid. People can think.”
Oh & Liza, please please please, DO NOT ever ever think we are buying your b*ullshit of an excuse.Parang awa nyo na, mga taong gobyerno, please stop thinking that Filipinos are stupid.Nagiisip ang mga tao.Give us a chance to exercise our intelligence.Wag nyo kaming gawing tanga.
— DavisGlenBrooke (@GonTwtr) July 4, 2018
Someone asked why Diño refuses to apologize for her behavior.
Wrote @elbertragpicker: “You can apologize for conduct unbecoming of a public servant, yes? The problem with flies who stand on the shoulders of buffalos, you feel untouchable, feeling unaccountable.”
Puede ka naman kasi mag-apologize for conduct unbecoming of a public servant, diba? Problema sa inyong mga langaw sa balikat ng kalabaw, feeling untouchable, feeling unaccountable. Humility is a virtue.
— praet0rian (@elbertragpicker) July 3, 2018
Another user, @claudiopoy wrote: “How is it that most of you people [government officials] are dumb enough to downplay the paying public’s intelligence? It’s either you are making us stupid or you are not qualified for that job.”
Personal page? And yet the picture shows you were discharging a public function? How is it that most of you people are dumb enough to downplay the paying public’s intelligence?
It’s either masyado nyo kaming ginagawang bobo, o sadyang di ka qualified dyan sa trabaho mo.
— claudiopoi (@claudiopoy) July 4, 2018
Facebook users weren’t amused either. Romano Jorge thought the whole thing was “not funny.”
Rica Espiritu said that government officials have to follow a “certain decorum.”
Before assuming the position of FDCP chair, Diño worked as a theater and independent film actress.
Because Diño’s acting projects weren’t mainstream, she was not under the public eye until she started dating her now husband Ice Seguerra, a transgender actor and singer formerly known as Aiza.
Another loyal Duterte supporter, Seguerra also worked for a government agency until she resigned due to “personal reasons.”
Diño has stopped responding to her critics on Twitter but has not removed the controversial Facebook posts as of this writing.
What do you think? Was this totally fine or inappropriate? Let us know in the comments section below or tweet us @CoconutsManila.
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