Padilla sorry over wife’s pic; senators appeased
Some senators have come to the defense of Sen. Robinhood Padilla and his wife, saying that their apologies should be enough to put to rest the controversy arising from the latter’s controversial Vitamin C drip photo.
Padilla apologized to Senate officials on Monday, after his wife, actress and television host Mariel Rodriguez-Padilla, posted a photo of herself undergoing drip treatment in his Senate office last week. She later drew a lot of flak, prompting her to delete the picture. She also clarified that it was Vitamin C, not glutathione which is not approved by the Food and Drugs Administration, that she received.
In his letter to the Senate’s Medical and Dental Bureau chief Dr. Renato DG Sison and Sergeant-at-Arms retired Lt. Gen. Roberto Ancan, Padilla explained that it was not his wife’s intention to breach any Senate protocols.
Sen. Nancy Binay, chair of the Senate ethics committee, earlier remarked that undergoing the cosmetic therapy, as previously reported, was not appropriate “in a government building like the Senate,” as she called on all visitors to observe “proper decorum.”
“He already apologized,” Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri told reporters when asked about the incident.
“For me, there is nothing more to talk about if they have already apologized,” Sen. Francis Tolentino said in a press briefing.
“Apology was already issued, let’s accept that … In the age of social media such things easily circulate. Senator Nancy and Senator Robin should talk about what is acceptable. But apologizing is a sign of humility. It should be accepted … and such act should no longer be committed in the future,” he added.
Not a big deal
Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. also agreed, saying the issue should no longer be a big deal.
“If you ask me personally, he (Padilla) has already apologized, so why would we still make a big deal out of it? I believe he also did not want the incident to become such a big issue. Let’s just accept the apology. I think Mariel has also said sorry,” he said.
In his letters addressed to Sison and Ancan, Padilla said that it was not his nor his wife’s intention to ignore Senate rules.
“I would never think of violating the Senate’s security protocols, much less disrespecting our institution,” he said.
“I wish to emphasize that my wife had no intention of disregarding the rules and regulations of the Senate Medical Bureau,” Padilla added in his letter written in Filipino.
He also assured Senate officials that the incident would not happen again.
Mariel also apologized on Sunday “to all concerned,” saying she never intended “to malign nor undermine the integrity and dignity of the Senate.”
Padilla, when pressed by reporters to elaborate on his letters to the Senate officials, said: “Let’s stop talking about that political issue … honestly there are a lot of things we need to discuss, maybe not about such things.”
He also extended his apologies to Zubiri and Binay. “I wish to extend my sincere apologies if this has caused concern for the Senate leadership, our colleagues, and those in the institution,” he said in a letter to Zubiri.
