Sen. Jinggoy Estrada Earns Backlash over Question to Gilas Pilipinas Women Prospect Elizabeth Means during Senate Session
JINGGOY ESTRADA – The Senator defended his action of asking Gilas Pilipinas women prospect Elizabeth Means if she has a Filipino boyfriend during a Senate session.
The Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights recently held a session to discuss the naturalization of athletes with foreigner blood. One of those who were invited by the panel to the session was Gilas Pilipinas women prospect Elizabeth Jeanette Means.
At the session, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada unexpectedly asked Elizabeth Means if she has a Filipino boyfriend. After the Filipino-American Athlete responded in the negative, the Senator “joked” that his fellow lawmaker, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, might want to “apply”.
While it drew laughter during the Senate session, countless netizens criticized Sen. Jinggoy Estrada online for matching up Sen. Kiko Pangilinan with the Fil-Am athlete. Estrada apologized to Megastar Sharon Cuneta, the wife of Sen. Pangilinan, after the Senator said “magagalit ‘yong kumander”.
Countless netizens were disappointed by the remarks of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada which should have not taken the focus from the matter being discussed which was the naturalization of the athletes. Amid the backlash, Estrada claimed that it was allegedly a “friendly banter” between him and Sen. Kiko Pangilinan.
Furthermore, Estrada also claimed that the wife of Pangilinan, Sharon Cuneta, is a friend of him. According to him, their friendship goes back many years ago and long before he entered politics.
“It was simply a friendly banter between Sen. Francis Pangilinan and myself. It may not be widely known, but Sen. Pangilinan’s wife, Ms. Sharon Cuneta, is a dear friend of mine,” Estrada said.
According to News5, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada also defended his question to Gilas Pilipinas women prospect Elizabeth Means saying there was allegedly nothing malicious in what he asked from the Fil-Am athlete. He stressed that it is supposedly part of the committee’s responsibility to determine whether the applicants for naturalization really wants to make the Philippines their home.
“It was asked within the context of determining her reasons for seeking naturalization as a Filipino… There was absolutely nothing malicious in the question,” the Senator said based on the post.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is one of the senators linked to the flood control mess. Previously, Senate Pres. Tito Estrada revealed that the names of senators Jinggoy Estrada, Chiz Escudero, and Joel Villanueva are in the flood control report of the Blue Ribbon Committee.