Roxas: Apostol should say sorry for racist slur

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Sergio Apostol should promptly apologize to the entire Filipino public especially to the Filipino-Chinese community that has been shamed by his "racist remark," Sen. Mar Roxas said Sunday.

"He should also offer an apology to the Chinese people, who have suffered an insult despite their deep friendship with the Filipino people," said Roxas, president of the Liberal Party.

"We find it totally ironic that the President's lawyer has made a racist slur against the very nation from whom this government has sought to borrow millions of dollars that have been purloined by rotten officials," Roxas said.

Roxas was referring to the multimillion-dollar loan that the Philippine government had sought to obtain from China to finance the controversial national broadband network (NBN) project that has been ruined by corruption.

Roxas said Apostol's remark was "absolutely uncalled for, and showed great contempt for Filipinos with Chinese blood, including our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal."

"Resorting to insults now will not make Lozada's testimony less credible. The more they try to discredit Lozada, the more they appear desperate. Habang ginigiba nila ang pagkatao ni Lozada, lalo silang nagmumukhang desperado," Roxas said.

"Let us stick to the light, as the nuns said, by being forthright and honest," Roxas stressed.

Apostol had said that since the Senate's new witness in the NBN project scandal was "Chinese," he should be deported right away for "creating trouble" here.

Apostol was referring to Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr., who testified in the Senate on the controversial NBN deal.

In his testimony, Lozada portrayed himself as a "simpleng probinsyanong Intsik."

Teresita Ang-See, head of the Kaisa para sa Kaunlaran (Kaisa), earlier said that the Filipino-Chinese community was outraged by Apostol's racist remark.