13/02/2026
𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 | 𝐔𝐏 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐤𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫
This is not merely a question of "disrespect." It is a polarizing narrative of a ‘disrespected mayor’ vs. a ‘disrespectful citizen’. By framing himself as a victim, the Mayor attempts to portray a private expression of frustration as a meaningful harm to his person or office. Transforming a private message into a public spectacle through an official platform is an unacceptable use of power that violates a citizen’s right to privacy and grievance. Under the Republic Act No. 6713, also known as the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, public officials are mandated to strictly act within a sense of “justness and sincerity” and to “remain true to the people” at all times. Using the very weight of a public office to target a private citizen contradicts the very “professionalism” and “responsiveness to the public” required by the law.
Beyond the legality and ethics of what happened, this narrative is fundamentally dishonest because the two parties are not on the same plane. On one side is a member of a political dynasty holding the highest office in the city; on the other is a student simply going through the motions of a difficult daily life here in the city.
The narrative of "hurt feelings" is a luxury that the people of Tacloban cannot afford. While the city leadership fixates on tone, we are forced to navigate the everyday consequences of bad governance. Floods have become a normalized part of our existence; whether it is a typhoon or just a passing shear line, major roads across the city consistently go underwater. They are often labeled as "passable," but wade through them for one day and you realize there is nothing dignified about this way of living. This is compounded by a broken transport system where commuting is a struggle of being drenched and squeezed.. Because we lack an integrated system, students and workers are forced into "cutting trips"—shuffling between jeeps, multicabs, and motorcycles—which multiplies both the cost and the exhaustion of simply trying to get to school. Our suffering does not even end when the rain stops; we often return to homes or boarding houses that are themselves flooded. It is truly expensive to be poor, especially in this city where we are forced to treat basic survival as a daily routine.
It is easy to treat the rain as a mere 'inconvenience' when you don’t live in a flood plain. It is easy to ignore the cries of the public when you are insulated by high-ground-clearance vehicles and sound-dampened interiors that tune out the reality of the streets. For the everyday citizen, the rain is not a 'disrespectful' social media message—it is a struggle for survival and dignity.
We refuse to let this issue be reduced to a debate on manners. The 'good' in good governance isn't about the tone or the words we choose; it’s about whether our leadership has the heart to actually see our situation. The real disrespect isn't a student speaking their mind; it is a city that remains stagnant while its people are underwater.
As a public servant entrusted with authority and influence, the mayor has an ethical duty to protect, rather than endanger, the dignity and welfare of private citizens and by weaponizing social media against a student represents not only unethical behavior but an abuse of public office and a failure of responsible leadership.
We call on the Mayor to stop playing the victim and finally address the climate injustice and transport crisis that define the daily lives of Taclobanons.
We are not interested in a private audience or a closed-door meeting. If the Mayor is actually serious about a dialogue, then let it be a genuine public deliberation. Please, let us stop with this performative governance; we have had enough of the empty rhetoric.
If the Mayor is true to his claim of wanting a conversation, then he needs to stop the one-sided moralizing and playing victim. What this city needs from our Mayor is for him to talk with and to us, not someone who talks down to us. We do not need a lecture, what we need is a city that works.
The bottom line is that if the governance in this city were responsive, people would not feel the need to slide in the Mayor’s DMs just to get centavo’s worth of attention to their plight. Our lines are open for a real, public conversation and deliberation. We are ready anytime.