After envoy's wife campaigns in Saudi, CSC exec suggests briefing on civil service rules
MANILA, Philippines — Civil Service Commission Commissioner Aileen Lizada wants the spouses and families of Philippine ambassadors to undergo proper briefings on what they can and cannot do while on postings abroad.
This comes after the wife of Philippine envoy to Saudi Arabia Arabia Adnan Alonto was filmed campaigning for presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and even suggesting that domestic workers "flirt" with their employers to allow them to go out and vote.
"My suggestion is orientation for all the spouses or the families joining the respective official who would be representing the country," Lizada told ABS-CBN News Channel's "The Rundown" on Tuesday.
Lizada noted that all officials and all civil servants who represent the country abroad "are given proper orientations before entering or assuming their respective positions" and suggested that the Department of Foreign Affairs give similar briefings to their relatives.
In a video that made the rounds on social media last week, Alonto's wife was seen campaigning for Marcos Jr. in a rally.
“Please cast your vote, do not waste this moment because this might just be the turning point so we will have another Ilocano president,” Alonto’s wife said while wearing a red shirt printed with "BBM 2022."
“Ilokano po ako (I am Ilocano) so that’s where I’m coming from, I really believe in my presidential candidate," she added.
The Marcos political clan is based in the Ilocos provinces, although members of the family have been elected to national positions. The clan also has ties to the Romualdezes of Leyte.
Alonto clarified that she is not forcing her audience to vote for her presidential bet.
“My main message po is ‘please go out and vote.’ Maganda po itong ginagawa nating nagsasama-sama tayo para ipakita ‘yung whatever we want to project to people, that we are united. Pagkakaisa lang po ang hinihingi natin,” the ambassador's wife said.
(My main message is ‘please go out and vote.’ What we’re doing here—coming together to show whatever we want to project to people, that we are united—is good. We’re just asking for unity.)
While the ambassador’s wife is not covered by the rules of the CSC, Lizada also emphasized that Alonto's wife had privileges extending from her husband's position: "If you were not married to this certain official, would you have had the opportunity to address this crowd?"
The Commission on Elections reported that over 1.697 million Filipinos are registered to vote for the upcoming polls. Saudi Arabia is the second top country with the most number of registered overseas Filipino voters with 282,605.
'Flirt with your bosses'
Meanwhile, the ambassador's wife also suggested that overseas Filipino workers flirt with their employers to allow them to participate in the upcoming polls.
“Kung kailangan niyong magpaalam sa amo niyo, baka naman pwedeng anuhin na niyo, medyo, yung mga chicks dyan eh landian niyo na yung amo niyo. Para ano lang, to allow you to cast your vote,” she quipped.
(If you need to ask permission from your employers, for the ‘chicks’ here, maybe you can try flirting with your employers. Just to allow you to cast your vote.)
Lizada noted that the message "shows how you look at and treat women."
“Hindi ho tama, hindi ho tayo dapat sinasabihan ng ganyan especially ng kapwa nating babae so let us be more circumspect and [observe an] abundance of caution in how we say things because your spouse represents our country abroad,” Lizada said.
(That’s not right, we should not be at the receiving end of these statements especially from other women so let us be more circumspect and [observe an] abundance of caution in how we say things because your spouse represents our country abroad.)
A study by the Committee on Overseas Workers Welfare in 2012 showed that 70% of Filipino domestic workers in Saudi Arabia have suffered physical and psychological harassment by their employers.
In 2020, Saudi Arabia launched its labor reform initiative to improve the sponsorship system of foreign workers in the country as well as make changes to other immigration and labor laws.
Last week, the DFA ordered Ambassador Alonto and his wife to return to the Philippines from Riyadh "for official consultation."
"It does not condone acts that go against the Omnibus Election Code, the Overseas Voting Act of 2013 and the COMELEC-CSC Joint Circular No. 001, series of 2016," the DFA said.
The department reminded its personnel in the country and overseas of the prohibition against engaging directly or indirectly in electioneering or in any partisan political activities.
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