Being a father of a child with autism, I am eternally grateful to Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago for championing the cause of special children. The bills she authored, Senate Bill No. 1946 (Autism Prevention, Early Detection, Diagnosis and Treatment Act of 2007) and Senate Bill No. 2020 (Special Education Act of 2008), provide hope for countless children like my son. In this instance, the senator has put to good practice the axiom that “those with less in life should have more in the law.”
However, after watching her latest tirade during the impeachment trial and reading her statements about private prosecutor Vitaliano Aguirre, I felt greatly disappointed – betrayed even. There is a pain that only a parent with a special child can feel when your child’s dignity is assailed by a certain look from other people. If such a look can hurt, how much more words? The verbal assault that the senator-judge unleashed emasculated the prosecution panel and robbed its members of their dignity. And when private prosecutor Aguirre covered his ears in reaction to the barrage, he was cited for contempt. After the proceedings, to add insult to injury, senator-judge Santiago was even quoted as saying, “I think he (Aguirre) has just a mental disorder.”
It is the height of hypocrisy for an advocate of the cause of children with special needs to be so callous with words and so eager to belittle others in public.
Moreover, it is ironic that Senate Bill No. 2677 (Anti-Bullying Act of 2011) was co-authored by Senator Santiago. Verbal abuse is clearly a form of bullying, after all. Unfortunately, this law only applies to children in school and we all know how Senator Santiago is such a stickler for legal technicalities. Too bad this law was not in effect during her formative years so she could have better learned self-restraint and respect for the dignity of others.
—SOLIMAN DELARIARTE,
sdelariarte@yahoo.com