Locsin faces disbarment case over tweet on Palestinian kids

A disbarment complaint has been filed with the Supreme Court against Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom Teodoro Locsin Jr. over his now-deleted tweet about Palestinian children.

According to the complainant, 1Bangsa, a Muslim civic group, Locsin's tweet put the safety of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and Filipino diplomats and embassy personnel in jeopardy.

"Kaya nakakalungkot isipin na nalagay sa alanganin 'yung ating mga kapatid na OFW, nalagay sa peligro 'yung mga diplomat, yung mga nasa embahada natin sa iba’t ibang bansa dahil doon sa kanyang sinabi,” 1Bangsa president Maulana Balangi said in an interview after the filing of the complaint.

(It's sad to think about how our OFWs, diplomats and embassy personnel were put in danger because of what he said.)

In his post on X (formerly Twitter), Locsin said Palestinian children "should be killed" because "they might grow up to become as gullible as innocent Palestinians letting Hamas launch rockets at Israel."

A former Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) secretary, Locsin deleted and later on apologized for his post, saying it was a "sarcastic response to a tweet."

Balangi, however, said they did not find the apology sincere.

"[D]inelete niya 'yung post niya pero ‘yung kanyang pag-apology ay hindi katanggap-tanggap sa amin. Dahil makikita natin na hindi siya 101% sinsero doon sa kanyang paghingi ng apology," he said.

(He deleted the post but his apology is not acceptable to us. Because we can see that his apology was not 101% sincere.)

"Ang kanyang sinabi ay para lang doon sa mga taong na-miscontrue doon sa kanyang statement. Wala na siyang ibang, kumbaga, eksplenasyon. Pero ika nga nila, the damage has been done," he added.

(What he said was just for those who might misconstrue his statement. He didn't offer any explanation. But as they say, the damage has been done.)

Balangi also expressed concern that the tweet may affect the cases of Filipinos who are incarcerated in other countries.

"Alam naman natin na marami tayong mga kababayan na humihingi ng pardon. So paano bibigyan ito ng pardon kapag ang mga kahalintulad na statement ay makarating doon sa mga kinauukulan sa naturang bansa,” he said.

(We know that many of our fellowmen are asking for pardon abroad. How will they be granted a pardon if such statements reach other countries.)

Balangi urged President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to have Locsin recalled.

GNO has reached out to Locsin via text for his comment, but he has yet to respond as of posting time.

At least two lawmakers have slammed Locsin over his tweet while the DFA distanced itself from it. —KBK, GMA Integrated News