WHILE scanning the posts on my Facebook page last Tuesday, I was surprised to read this open letter to Teodoro Locsin Jr., Philippine ambassador to the United Kingdom and special envoy to China, from Dr. Kadil "Jojo" Sinolinding Jr., a member of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliament and former Health secretary of the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) for nine years:
"Sir, I used to look up [to] and respect you as an excellent journalist [and] broadcaster. But the comment you made recently cannot be tolerated nor simply forgotten. We are both public servants who maintain a high degree of professionalism in any form [that is] consistent with the right conduct of a government official. And you owe something to the people. You must have forgotten that advocating "killing children" for any reason (take a pick: Palestinian, poor and less educated, or simply because they are Moslems) is simply incomprehensible from a person who represents a democratic country. Para po kayong kuto na nasa ulo; feeling mo mas malaki ka pa sa iyong amo (You are like a louse on one's head; you feel that you are bigger than your master). No matter [the] excuses you may make, [what] you did perfectly... describes you. Not the way you depicted the children of Palestine. And, sir, you have severely hurt the entire Moro people. Haven't you read from the post: "[T]he pain of Palestine is our pain!" May God provide you wisdom."
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