Twitter users slammed Senator Sherwin Gatchalian for cursing and using foul words against netizens when he was called out for being a ‘balimbing’ or a political turncoat.
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His argument with some Twitter users started when he reacted to Rappler founder Maria Ressa’s tweet about the news site’s report on how the opposition Liberal Party said this year, 2018, “may be the fight for nation’s soul.”
To this, Gatchalian responded, “The nation already lost its soul in the last 6 years.”
To this, one Twitter user posted several screenshots showing Gatchalian praising former President Benigno Aquino III.
When another Twitter user called him “trapo,” or traditional politician for praising and now criticizing the Aquino administration, Gatchalian replied with, “Gago ka!”
He also called another critic “ulol” (deranged).
Someone retweeted a Twitter user’s post showing the positive tweets Gatchalian made about the Aquino administration and reminded the senator that the “Internet never forgets.”
@stgatchalian the internet never forgets. 🙃 https://t.co/MAjJUAsdct
— Mugen 無限 (@tr1pnautic) January 1, 2018
To this, the senator replied, “Gago! Anong year yan???”
Others noted that the positive tweets in the screenshots were posted in 2012, which is still within the six-year range that he described as the period when the Philippines lost its soul.
One Twitter user even conducted a poll on whether Gatchalian lost his soul, with the first choice agreeing with the question and how he is a turncoat and the second one saying that he did not have a soul in the first place. Sixty-three percent voted for the first choice.
This also prompted other netizens to call Gatchalian a “balimbing,” “plastic,” “ass kisser,” and someone suffering from memory loss.
When other netizens wondered if he was hacked, the senator confirmed that the account @stgatchalian is really his and it was him who made those tweets.
The netizens called out Gatchalian for using foul words, urging him to be “civil and honorable” as a government official.
“How can a senator of a republic tweet like that. As a public official, are we not bound to be civil and honorable? What is happening to our country? Nagiging bastos na ba ang nakararami?” a netizen tweeted.
Gatchalian’s defense
The senator later defended himself, putting the blame on his bashers for causing his meltdown with foul words.
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“Daming nang-iinis eh,” Gatchalian told Rappler via Viber on January 2.
He once again confirmed with the news site that the account with the Twitter handle @stgatchalian is his personal account.
But the netizens did not accept Gatchalian’s reasoning for using foul words against Twitter users.
Even international singer and actress Lea Salonga weighed in on the senator’s defense, urging everyone to “keep all discourses respectful.” She also gave him an advice on what to do if he “can’t handle the heat.”
“Oh dear. If you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen. Being a public figure means having to deal with haters and bashers from time to time, whether in person or on social media. Keeping the eyes on what’s important is what keeps one sane through the craziness,” Salonga tweeted.
Sources: ( rappler.com )
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