Writer and talent manager Ogie Diaz probably found Atty. Ferdinand Topacio’s comments on Angel Locsin quite disparaging that he has already called the attention of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines to address the lawyer’s conduct.
Atty. Topacio, whose lineup of clients include former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on her plunder case, is known for his hostile tweets against the opposition, and most recently, against supporters of ABS-CBN. Today, July 26, Diaz posted a photo of the lawyer alongside a quoted text stating, “Attorney Ferdie Topacio to Angel Locsin: ‘Yung show ni Angel sa GMA7 ay pinamagatang LOBO, kaya LUMOBO sya.'”
“May Slipped Disc daw. Mataba pa rin,” the quote further stated.
Diaz then got curious if this kind of “misconduct” is tolerable among lawyers in the Philippines.
“Okay lang kaya ang ganitong misconduct sa Integrated Bar of the Philippines?” Diaz asked, IBP being the national organization which promotes ethical practices among lawyers. (Is this kind of misconduct okay, Integrated Bar of the Philippines?)
Diaz then went playful and asked if it is okay if the tables are turned, to have Atty. Topacio on the receiving end of unsavory statements.
“IBP, pwede din po bang laitin ang ganitong miyembro n’yo?,” Diaz asked. “Kunwari, sabihin kong wag siyang magbu-blue dahil baka mapagkamalan siyang gasulito, okay lang po ba yon?”
(IBP, can someone also insult this kind of member of yours? Like, can I tell him not to wear blue, because he could be mistaken for a mini gas tank, would that be okay?)
But in the end, he refrained from making further comments and instead just appealed to the IBP: “Ay, wag na lang. Kastiguhin nyo na lang po ang bastos nyong miyembro. Otherwise, talaga lang tino-tolerate nyo ang ganitong uri ng abogado.”
(Oh, nevermind. Please just castigate your rude member. Otherwise, [it could mean] you are really tolerating this kind of lawyer.)
Apparently, the quoted statement of Atty. Topacio was from a tweet made by him on his Twitter account, @YesYesYo13.
“Yung show ni Angel sa GMA7 ay pinamagatang LOBO, kaya LUMOBO siya!” the then-viral tweet stated last week, July 20.
Yung show ni Angel sa GMA7 ay pinamagatang LOBO, kaya LUMOBO siya!😂😂😂
— YesYesYo! (@YesYesYo13) July 20, 2020
(Angel Locsin’s show on GMA7 was titled LOBO, which is why she ballooned.)
Immediately, one @RunRusselRun, corrected Atty. Topacio’s claim, “Attorney ABS po yang LOBO. Hanggang Majika at Darna sa GMA 7 po.” (Attorney, “Lobo” is an ABS-CBN show. Angel did “Majika” and “Darna” at GMA.)
“Hehe. Not a fan kasi. So sa ABS-CBN SIYA LUMOBO?” came the lawyer’s retort.
The lawyer did get flak for his remark, as what happened on July 23, after one @kikobarbital lambasted him, “Mali na nga yung sinasabi mo. Di ka pa marunong magsearch kung saan lumabas ang Lobo. Tsaka may slipped disc yan, tanga.”
(It’s you who is declaring wrong things. You don’t even know how to research. One more thing, Angel has slipped sick, you jerk.)
“Mataba pa rin siya,” came Atty. Topacio’s insistent reply.
On the same day, one @markymarksworld commented, “Yung gantong statement only stems from a person who has a lot of insecurities. Yung mga hinde naranasan na maging attractive and was bullied because of how he looks. [Having] said that, pangit ka and gasulito pa.”
(This kind of statement only stems from a person who has a lot of insecurities. Those who never experienced how to be attractive and were bullied because of how they look. Having said that, you’re ugly and a “gasulito.”)
“No need to be insecure to see she’s fat,” the lawyer reiterated.
Body shaming, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders in the United States, “is the action or practice of expressing humiliation about another individual’s body shape or size.” It is defined as “a form of bullying.” JB
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