Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Nicolas Torre III hit back at film director Darryl Yap over his criticism of Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, saying Yap should have read and understood Castro’s remarks before accusing her of insulting teachers.
Yap earlier criticized Castro after she said during a Palace press briefing Tuesday that some teachers set bad examples and teach students to be disrespectful.
“Ang tatay at nanay ko ay parehas retired public school teacher kaya naman… P*t*ng*n* mo Claire Castro,” Yap said in an online post.
Torre, whose parents were also public school teachers, said Castro’s remarks did not insult the teaching profession because she referred only to “ibang mga guro,” or some teachers, rather than all teachers.
“Ang pagsasabing may ilang gurong nagkakamali ay hindi paghusga sa lahat ng guro,” Torre said, comparing the statement to recognizing that some police officers commit wrongdoing without insulting the entire police force.
Torre said he also took up a master’s degree in education because he had hoped to become a teacher.
“Pero binasa ko ang aktuwal na sinabi ni Usec. Claire Castro: ‘ibang mga guro.’ Hindi ‘lahat ng guro,’” Torre said.
He then directly addressed Yap, urging him to understand Castro’s statement before judging her.
“Kaya Darryl… comprehension muna,” Torre said.
“If we truly take pride in having teachers as our parents, it is better to show that we learned from them: read, understand, then judge,” he added.
The exchange followed Castro’s remarks during a Palace press briefing on Tuesday, after the second school sh*oting was reported, this time in Zamboanga.
Castro later defended her statement and declined to apologize. She said her remarks were intended as a reminder of teachers’ important role in shaping children’s character and values.
Torre said defending teachers’ dignity should not mean defending what he described as a misreading of Castro’s statement.
“Ipagtanggol natin ang dignidad ng ating mga guro. Pero huwag nating ipagtanggol ang maling pagbasa sa malinaw na sinabi,” Torre said.
