Sergio Apostol and the Seventeen and a Half Toes

I think enough people have vented their ire at Sergio Apostol for his brilliant and insightful [/sarcasm] opinion of how best to deal with the ongoing testimony of Mr. Lozada, such that I need not do more than express my solidarity with the head-shaking and tongue clucking in his general direction.

The use of the derogatory word "intsik" is not my real beef - there are many people who sadly do not even realize that such a word is a slur. (I abashedly admit that I myself as educated on that matter only recently.) In the interest of fairness, it should be noted that apparently the phrase “simpleng probinsiyanong Intsik" was used by Lozada to describe himself... But of course this does not give license to others to use the word - just look at how acceptable it is to use the "N-word" to describe an african american, if you yourself are not of a fashionably Denzel Washington-y skin tone.

The phrase “[b]agay sa‘yo i-deport, magulo ka dito" though.... well. That consists of at least 3.5 feet-in-the-mouth.

The first foot-in-mouth consists of the fact that it is logically wrong, an ad hominem fallacy, to reply to the argument (testimony in this case) of another by simply insulting that other person. As an Atenean (or so I've heard), Apostol should know better.

The second foot-in-mouth consists of the fact that it is legally wrong, since as far as I know Lozada is a Filipino citizen and not subject to deportation. As a lawyer, and as presidential legal counsel, Apostol should know better.

The third-and-a-half foot-in-mouth consists of the fact that saying such a thing in an interview with the media is mentally wrong. Given that you wanted to defend the administration Mr. Apostol, the last thing you should have done was something millions of Filipinos (in every way that counts) would find despicable.

In his apology Apostol claims it was an "emotional outburst." For someone who harps on Lozada's tears, I think Apostol should realize that his own lack of control might have done far more damage to the administration than an ocean of tears.