Malacañang on Tuesday urged government officials to be sensitive about what they wear in public while acknowledging that some may opt for designer clothes simply because these attires are what they are accustomed to wearing.
The remarks came after Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda, her son – Vice Governor Dennis ‘Delta’ Pineda, and San Fernando City Mayor Vilma Balle-Caluag faced backlash for wearing luxury designer clothes while inspecting communities devastated by flooding caused by monsoon rains.
Social media users were quick to identify and call out the Pinedas and Caluag over their designer pieces during the flood inspection, including a Balmain set, a Prada T-shirt, Burberry jackets, and Calvin Klein leggings.
‘Public service is not measured by what leaders wear. It is seen in their actions-whether they are visible and present to help,’ Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said at a briefing when asked whether Malacañang has a message for local officials on the issue.
The Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees states that public officials and employees and their families shall lead modest lives appropriate to their positions and income and shall not indulge in extravagant displays of wealth.
In what appeared to be a defense of the officials’ choice of clothing, Castro said that while the public may find the items expensive, they may be relatively inexpensive for the officials themselves.
‘Hindi natin alam kung ang pagsusuot ng branded na iyan ay mura na sa kanila,’ she said.
(We don’t know whether wearing those branded clothes is actually inexpensive for them. It really depends on their circumstances.)
‘So, depende, depende sa kanila. Baka iyan ay-kung sa atin na ordinaryong tao ay napakamahal, baka sa kanila ay mura lang iyan dahil yan ang kanilang nakagawian,’ she said.
(What may be very expensive for us ordinary people may be relatively cheap for them, especially since that may simply be what they are accustomed to wearing.)
‘But still, siguro kailangan din maging sensitive kasi lalong-lalo na, kung iyong mga kababayan natin ay nakakaramdam ng hirap, trauma at kalungkutan,’ Castro continued.
(But still, I think they need to be sensitive, especially when our fellow Filipinos are experiencing hardship, trauma and grief.)
Castro also said there were officials who dressed simply but were unable to serve the public.
‘Mayroon pong mga iba, napakasimple ng dating – t-shirt, pants. Yung iba, nagpapaulan pa, pero wala namang natutulong,’ she said.
(There are others who come across as very simple-wearing just a T-shirt and pants, or even braving the rain, yet they don’t actually contribute anything.)
‘So mas maganda po na tingnan ang lider sa trabaho, sa gawa. Hindi po sa damit,’ she added.
(So, it is better to judge a leader by their work and actions, not by their attire.)
Governor Pineda apologized for the incident, calling it a ‘wake-up call,’ given the public’s suffering from the floods.