DFA disassociates itself from Locsin's tweet

THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday «disassociated» itself from the view of Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom Teodoro Locsin Jr. with regard to the Israel-Hamas war.

Locsin recently wrote on X (formerly Twitter), «That's why Palestinian children should be killed; they might grow up to become as gullible as innocent Palestinians letting Hamas launch rockets at Israel; not that they could stop them but that's no excuse.»

The DFA said that the post «was made in his strictly personal capacity.» Locsin, a former DFA secretary, has deleted the controversial post.

«I immediately deleted my sarcastic response to a tweet as I realized it could be misconstrued and retweeted to incite,» he said.

«My apologies to those who did misconstrue my sentiments and did in fact get triggered — I obviously was not advocating for the literal death of anyone, but rather simply for the end of any ideology that condones terrorism in any way, shape or form,» he added.

Locsin is also the Philippines' special envoy to China for special concerns.

Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, in reaction to Locsin's post, said, «There is no room in Philippine society, much more in the high offices of government, for the dangerous, bigoted, and islamophobic rhetoric that is palpable in your now deleted statement.»

«It is unbecoming for any Filipino, much more a high official, to visit genocidal machinations upon innocent children of any nation. An ambassador who is tasked to represent the best of our nation, a defender of our nation's interests, must espouse our nation's commitment to peace and humanity,» he said.

«Under no circumstance is the killing of Palestinian children justified, and it is no laughing matter when more than a thousand Palestinian children have lost their lives in Gaza within this past week alone. Right now, a child dies every fifteen minutes in Gaza.»