Photo taken at Freedom of Expression Conference 2 in November 2018 where Dean Chel Diokno was guest speaker. The event was organized by the Human Rights Online Philippines

Amid coronavirus outbreak, President Rodrigo R. Duterte lashed out at Chel Diokno in a late-night address yesterday saying, “Diokno is talking like a janitor. You know why you didn’t win in the last elections? Because you have big teeth. The way you talk, half of your jaw is showing.” The president just used faulty logic to make a point and this is nothing but a blatant personal attack. This fallacy occurs when someone refutes another’s ideas or actions by attacking the person, in this case, his physical attributes, rather than his thinking or deeds. I do not remember Diokno resorting to such remarks on the president ever.

Many of us are wondering why the president did say that Diokno is “talking like a janitor?” How does a janitor talks, by the way? This is just a guess: Duterte assumed that in general, janitors are trash talkers (with all pun intended)!

For some office people or those in the so-called white-collar jobs, the term “janitor” is derogatory because it indicates a low-skilled, low-paying position in the workplace. Do not get offended, you DDS janitors, “janitor” is not a dirty word, but the president has a divan-full of it.

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