Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on Monday defended neophyte Senator Robinhood “Robin” Padilla from criticism after the latter became an object of ridicule in a now-viral video on social media.
“It is not that I am defending Senator Robin Padilla but I can see that he is studying and attends our hearings. He is joining discussions to learn and participate,” Ejercito said in a statement.
“He is using our own language in the deliberations, whether it is in the committee or the plenary,” he added.
The lawmaker was referring to a video clip of a Senate session posted on social media where Padilla was seen being “coached” on parliamentary procedures.
Ejercito treated the incident as a “reminder” to also “practice, practice along with my colleagues in using parliamentary terms in Filipino.”
“My legislative staff in the Senate reminded me that it was the right motion. I overlooked it because I am used to parliamentary terms and procedures in English,” he said.
“Yes, it was a lapse on my part that I didn’t notice it was already the proper motion in Filipino,” Ejercito added.
He continued: “Nobody is perfect. All of us are still studying and learning in life. Life is a continuous learning process.”
“Thank you very much, Sen. Robin, for using our own language and reminding us that we still need to practice more,” he said.