Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Wednesday needled Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo for having two daughters outside marriage.
Sotto brought up Taguiwalo’s status as a solo parent during her confirmation hearing before the Commission on Appointments, where the bicameral body assessed whether or not her cabinet posting should be affirmed.
Advertisement
“On the lighter side, Sen. Drilon and I were looking at the personal information about you and you have 2 children, daughters ba or sons? Two daughters. But you’re single,” Sotto told Taguiwalo.
Taguiwalo answered in the affirmative, saying: “My life has never been a normal one. I never had a whole mother-father-children kind of thing, except when I was growing up in Bacolod.”
She explained that she was a student activist in the University of the Philippines during the Martial Law years.
Taguiwalo, a human rights victim during the Marcos regime, then said she spent her life in the underground and in prison from 1972 to 1986.
“My story will be different from the stories of those who have gone through UP, corporation, et cetera,” she said.
Sotto’s response was reminiscent of his jokes on the popular noontime show Eat Bulaga: “In the street language, when you have children and you are single, ang tawag doon ay ‘na-ano lang.'”
In English, Sotto was saying Taguiwalo was a single mom because she just “get knocked up” instead of having kids after getting married.
Several people in the room laughed at Sotto’s remarks while Taguiwalo merely pursed her lips.
Taguiwalo, a former UP professor, fired back at the senator, “Mr. Sotto, I teach Women’s Studies so we respect all kinds of families, and that includes solo parents.”
Despite the joke, Sotto said he backed Taguiwalo.
“You have my 100 percent support,” Sotto said as the titters subsided.
Sotto’s remarks drew comments online, with several scoring him for sexism and misogyny.
Tito Sotto's demeanor against Taguiwalo was intended to gain media coverage. Nothing more. It depicted though his indecency as a senator.
— jed q cepe (@jedqcepe) May 3, 2017
Yung tanungan ni tito sotto kay Judy Taguiwalo, eat bulaga lang?
Sobrang low!!! Eh ano kung solo parent sya with 2 daughters?— Nasser Amparna (@nasseramparna) May 3, 2017
https://twitter.com/ChokTheVirgin/status/859637132125757440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.abs-cbn.com%2Fnews%2F05%2F03%2F17%2Fna-ano-lang-sotto-twits-taguiwalo-for-having-children-out-of-wedlock
This story first appeared on ABS-CBN News and is republished with permission.
