Padilla reminded of proper decorum

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Nancy Binay reminded her colleague, Sen. Robinhood Padilla, of proper decorum yesterday after the latter’s wife Mariel Padilla received backlash for doing a glutathione drip in Senate premises.

Binay, who chairs the Senate ethics committee, said the Senate cannot investigate a celebrity like Mariel for doing an unauthorized aesthetic procedure.

But her husband, Padilla should have been more circumspect instead of allowing his wife to do the procedure in his office, Binay said in a Teleradyo Serbisyo interview yesterday.

“The committee on ethics has to study this because – while Ms. Mariel is not a member of the Senate and is therefore not bound by our ethics rules – it was still not something proper to do in a government building like the Senate,” Binay said.

The senator reminded the celebrity couple that a glutathione drip can damage one’s liver, according to the Department of Health, and that the Food and Drug Administration has not authorized it as a skin whitening product.

“As a celebrity wife to a senator, they should be more aware of their power to influence people into using the same unauthorized whitening treatment,” Binay said.

The senator – who is proud of her “morena” skin – said there is nothing wrong with embracing one’s natural skin tone.

“We should always be comfortable with our skin, because we can only be confident if we accept who we are,” Binay said.

Padilla addressed what he deemed a “political issue” on Friday by laughing it off and defending his wife from the backlash.

“That issue is laughable. My goodness. If they saw something wrong with the picture, I apologize. No intention to disrespect,” Padilla said.

“My wife loves to promote good looks and good health. I am laughing about this,” he added.

Padilla was reminded that the issue of his wife’s health is no laughing matter.

“I’m not comfortable with the phrase ‘promoting good looks and good health.’ Apparently, it is not good health,” Binay said.

“Skin whitening is also not the basis of good looks,” she added.

In a separate radio interview yesterday on dwIZ, Padilla said he reached out to Binay about the issue and said the Senate should look into more pressing