Press Release
December 3, 2008

Filipinos are free to express their opinions - Gordon

Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon today remarked that Filipinos, being in a free country, are free to express their opinions, even as he maintained that he did not say anything against the Thai government that could be taken as an insult.

Gordon disclosed that Thai Ambassador Kulkumut Singhara Na Ayudhaya might have been misinformed about his alleged statement that what happened in Thailand could also happen in the Philippines.

"Even assuming for the sake of argument that I did say that the Thais are politically immature, this is a free country and every citizen is entitled to an opinion. But in this situation, I don't know what the Thai Ambassador is talking about. I really do not know," he said.

The senator pointed out that his statement could have been merely blown out of proportion, averring that he would never knowingly issue any insulting statements against the Thai people because, not only are Filipinos very close to them, but he personally has many Thai friends.

"I would never think that the Thais are politically immature. I would never, far be it from my mind, to say that they are politically immature. They have been misinformed," he said.

Gordon stressed that there was nothing in his statement on the Thai crisis that could make the Thai ambassador feel slighted.

"What I said was that we in the Philippines should always keep national interest foremost in our minds, especially with regard to charter change. We should move carefully on this issue because it is a combustible issue," he said.

"Otherwise, our people may copy what they are doing in Thailand where the people have occupied the airports. Their fruits and flowers can't get exported, people were stranded and are still stranded," he added.

Gordon stressed that he has high regard for Thai people because they have always been an expert in diplomacy and have never been colonized by anybody.

Reports said Thailand's ambassador to the Philippines was slighted over the official statements of Gordon and Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Anthony Golez on the political turmoil in Thailand.

The Philippine officials' statements allegedly implied that the political turmoil in Thailand reflects the Thai people's "lack of maturity."

The ambassador was referring to Gordon's earlier statement which warned that moving for a Constitutional change at this time would only inflame Filipinos and could lead to the same political crisis.

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