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MANILA, Philippines– What was ACTS-OFW Representative John Bertiz’s excuse for acting the way he did in his viral NAIA ‘shoes’ video? In a press conference Monday, Octobr 1, he likened his outburst to a woman going through her monthly menstrual period.
People on social media were quick to point out the absurdity of his excuse, with netizens calling it ‘disrespectful’ to women. Even lawmakers said it was a “grossly inappropriate and inexcusable behavior”.
Bertiz has been under fire after a video of him confronting a security checker at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) went viral online over the weekend.
He already apologized for the incident but he drew flak when he compared his behavior to a woman’s PMS (premenstrual syndrome).
“For the past 3 years that I’ve been a member of Congress, once a year na medyo nadadapuan po tayo ng monthly period…. ‘Di ko na rin po maiaalis na tao lang po, na marupok at umiinit ang ulo. Naii-stress din sa trabaho,” said Bertiz.
(For the past 3 years that I’ve been a member of Congress, once a year I get something like a monthly period…. I’m only human, someone who’s weak and sometimes gets hotheaded. I also get stressed because of work.)
Some Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) refused to be represented by Bertiz and called for his resignation. Despite being an ACTS-OFW Representative, netizens pointed out this does not exempt him from standard protocol in airports.
Bertiz, it is the normal protocol to remove your shoes. You are not supposed to confiscate the identification card of the officer. You degraded his integrity and his position.
Idc if you’re the representative of ACTS OFW, so what? Does it exempt you from any liability?#Bertiz
Ofw ako,but he doesn’t represent me but i know some ofw having the same line of thinking #privileged #entitled
Sa mga OFW, huwag nyo na iboboto yung party ni Bertiz ah. #BertizResign
I doubt if xOFW ka nga, try mo gawin yan sa airport ng ibang bansa may kalalagyan ka! U should resign & stop representing OFW dahil hindi namin ugali ang ganyang pinakita mo sa HK at sa NAIA! #notopartylist
Hong Kong migrants stood out among those who disowned the OFW lawmaker. Dolores Balladeres-Pelaez, chairperson of the United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK), described Bertiz as “arrogant and disrespectful even to the people he claims to represent.”
Men and women alike defended that having a monthly period is not a valid reason for offensive behavior, especially imaginary ones at that. Many called on Bertiz to take responsibility for his actions and issue a genuine apology.
Here’s what some had to say about Bertiz:
Bertiz – Curated tweets by rapplerdotcom
How about you? What are your thoughts on his behavior? – Rappler.com
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