EDITORIAL - The stones to apologize

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa recently drew flak after saying he wants to punch the face of a lawmaker to make it “even”.

The lawmaker he was referring to was Akbayan partylist Rep. Percival Cendaña, who drew his ire after Cendaña said that Vice President Sara Duterte Carpio was not taking this impeachment issue seriously.

“Your face looks as though it has been punched, that’s why it’s skewed. Come here so I can punch the other side of your face and make it balanced,” he said in Visayan.

Cendaña’s face was left uneven because of a stroke. And now everyone from stroke survivors to government officials is criticizing Dela Rosa for making such an insensitive comment.

Dela Rosa has apologized for what he said.

“My apologies to Congressman Perci Cendaña for my offensive comments on his person. I wish him good health...I make no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt my words have caused,” he said. The apology has been accepted.

We can say in this instance that Bato had the stones to do what many couldn’t. “Sorry” is actually one of the hardest things for anyone to say. As quick as we are to call out something wrong, we should also be as quick to forgive.

But this should also serve as a lesson. One shouldn’t result to insulting in such a boorish manner fit only for childish behavior. Especially if one is a high official, and especially if such a comment is based on something as shallow as someone’s physical appearance.

As a senator, Dela Rosa is expected to behave and speak in a certain way, and not be someone who just blurts anything out of the blue now only to chalk it up to runaway emotions later.

We also don’t buy Dela Rosa’s reason that he made the comment feeling the sentiment of the entire Cebuano/Visayan-speaking people behind him. Dela Rosa doesn’t speak for all he claims to represent, and not all Cebuano/Visayan-speaking people feel the same way he does about his masters.