Jinggoy Estrada addresses flak for being 'harsh' on Sandro Muhlach, Gerald Santos during hearing
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada has addressed criticisms over his "harsh" way of questioning actor Sandro Muhlach and singer Gerald Santos amid the hearings on the sexual harassment they allegedly experienced in the entertainment industry.
In his statement during the Kapihan sa Senado, Estrada acknowledged that his questionings in the recent Senate hearing on the issue gave the public the impression of him being "harsh, insensitive, and apathetic."
"It was never, never my intention to victim blame or humiliate those who have come out to disclose the tragic realities happening in the movie industry or the entertainment industry, but rather to address a systemic issue that has been hurting our artists and workers," he stressed.
"My passionate approach, which did not sit well with the public monitoring the proceedings, stems from a deep frustration that this problem has persisted for years," he added.
He went on to say that since he is a part of the industry, he is aware that these incidents of sexual harassment are happening.
"Wala po akong intensiyon na balewalain ang nararamdaman ng mga biktima ng pang-aabuso, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment. Ngunit bilang parte ng industriyang ito, hindi ko kukunsintihin ang ginawa ng sinasabing may awtoridad o kapangyarihan sa industriya," Estrada explained.
"In fact, I condemn all forms of violence regardless of gender particularly in this industry where abuses, katulad ng sinasabi ko na, have been ongoing for so long," he continued.
Estrada highlighted that he is willing to take criticisms in line with his way of handling the issue if it means having a more in-depth discussion on fighting sexual abuse.
"Kung ang kapalit ng bashings na ipinupukol sa akin o ang galit ng publiko ay para mas patuloy na pag-usapan ang usapin ng pang-aabuso sa mga maliliit na artista o kasamahan sa industriya, o para mas magkaroon ng mas malawak na kamalayan at pagkilos laban sa pang-aabuso, hindi lamang sa entertainment industry kundi pati na rin sa iba’t ibang sektor, ay malugod ko pong tatanggapin," he said.
Estrada's statement comes after he was flooded with criticism from social media users who were dismayed at his seeming "lack of sympathy" towards Muhlach and Santos, who were both narrating their experience of sexual assault during the Senate hearing.
"Alam niyo, kapag hindi natin tatapusin ito, hahaba nang hahaba ito kaya magsalita na kayo. You're wasting our time here, e. Magsasalita ba kayo o hindi? Kasi kung hindi, aalis na ako rito," he told Muhlach after the latter appeared hesitant to detail what happened as the other side of his rape complaint has not received it yet.
For Santos, who claimed to have been raped in 2005 but only filed a formal complaint in 2010, Estrada asked, "Why did it take you five years? You should have filed a complaint immediately after that you were sexually harassed."
The hearings started after Muhlach filed a formal complaint against GMA Network's independent contractors, Jojo Nones and Richard Cruz, for alleged sexual abuse.
Before the formal filing of cases happened, the names of Muhlach, Nones, and Cruz were making the rounds on social media after a local entertainment news website published a blind item claiming that two program executives harassed a newbie artist in a hotel room. The alleged incident happened while an extravagant gathering took place on the hotel's premises, the report said.