ACTS-OFW Representative Aniceto “John” Bertiz III issued an apology on Wednesday, September 26, after his video during the mass oath-taking of the new batch of agricultural and biosystems engineers where he uttered a joke about Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher “Bong” Go drew flak.
“I take full responsibility on what I have said; SAP Bong Go has nothing to do with it,” Bertiz said.
“I didn’t mean to anger, belittle, or offend in any way. It was an inappropriate joke, and I feel sorry for it,” he added.
In the viral video, Bertiz asked the Professional Regulations Commission’s (PRC’s) licensure examination passers if they are familiar with President Rodrigo Duterte’s top aide.
“Bong Go ako nang Bong Go, kakilala niyo ba kung sino ‘yung sinasabi ko (I keep saying Bong Go, do you know who I’m referring to)?” he asked.
The crowd then responded, “Hindi (No).”
Bertiz went on and said, “Oh ‘wag na nating ituloy ‘to. ‘Wag na bigyan ng lisensya ‘to (Let’s stop this. Do not give license)… Ulitin ko ha, ‘yung hindi nakakakilala kay Secretary Bong Go walang PRC license mamaya (I will repeat, those who do not know Secretary Bong Go won’t get their PRC license later).”
His joke, however, was not funny for several people in the audience as the lawmaker received ‘booo’ from them.
In his apology, Bertiz explained that when he cracked the joke during the event, he never “intended to offend or degrade anyone.”
“I was asked to represent SAP Bong Go in that event. Him being the Special Guest and Keynote Speaker, I assumed that the audience knows him, especially that his name was largely printed on the tarpaulin in front of the stage, so I engaged the crowd by saying, ‘Sino dito nakakakilala kay (Who among here knows) Bong Go,’ hoping to liven them up,” he stressed.
Bertiz’s jest, according to him, “was more like, ‘Ang hindi pumalakpak, mamamatay (Those who will not clap will die)‘ kind of joke in stand-up comedies.”
Apart from the audience, netizens also slammed the lawmaker for his action, with some saying that his joke is inappropriate for those who pulled all-nighters to study hard for the examination.
As of writing, the video posted on @leslieohoh’s Twitter account already has 213,000 views; 4,327 retweets; and 11,173 likes. On Facebook the video posted by user Deej Diaz has garnered 160,679 views; 4,100 reactions; 1,337 comments; and 4,700 shares.
Go, on the other hand, has not yet commented on the issue.
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