House Deputy Speaker and physician Rep. Janette Garin dismissed claims circulating online that saliva or colds are signs of lying, following social media posts mocking members of the prosecution team during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
The comments came after Lead Prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro and lawyer Amado Ligutan were ridiculed by some netizens over visible saliva and a runny nose while speaking during the proceedings.
“Ang laway daw at ang sipon ay simbolo ng mga taong nagsisinungaling. My God! That’s a big lie!” Garin said.
“Never in the history of the medical community has colds or sipon been a cause of lying,” she added.
The lawmaker, who is also a physician, stressed that saliva production and colds are normal bodily functions and should not be used as a basis for judging a person's honesty.
“It is an insult to us doctors to say that sipon and having saliva are symptoms of lying,” she said.
Garin also condemned the viral memes directed at Luistro, describing them as a form of bullying against individuals carrying out their duties.
“Ang sipon ay isang viral infection na nangyari sa ating lahat, at hindi natin dapat kutsyain ang isang taong sinisipon lalo’t lalo na kapag siya ay nagtatrabaho,” she said.
“Kailangan bang pagtawanan yun? No! It's actually bullying. The prosecutors are just doing their job,” she added.
“Ngayon, dapat tuldukan yan at ibalik natin sino ba ang totoong nagsisinungaling. Yung nagsisinungaling, yung pinapalabas na kasinungalingan ang naging cause ng sipon.”
The comments came after moments involving members of the House prosecution panel during the first week of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial drew mixed reactions on social media.
Garin urged the public to refrain from personal attacks and instead focus on the substantive issues being tackled in the impeachment proceedings.
“Kaya ibalik natin sa katotohanan lang po tayo. Huwag po natin ilihis. Andiyan na yung impeachment court. Ipagpatuloy, tuldukan at sagutin ang mga dapat sagutin,” she appealed.
