Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and the group Migrante engaged in an argument when the militants mentioned several issues and also urged the government to avoid sending the army in the Middle East.
On Friday, Locsin who arrived at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DDFA) building was welcomed by the shouting activists.
Locsin became furious when the rallyist called the DFA secretary “epal”.
“Oh sige bugbugin mo ko,” Locsin told the activists, he also ordered his security personnel not to interfere.
He then answered the issues being mentioned by the activists one by one.
“Yung namatay na Kuwait sinabi ko na, life for a life, no other compromise,” Locsin said “Two kahit na wala nang gera. In spite of that, there will be a massive repatriation effort to bring our people back home,”
Locsin then assured that even if the OFWs refused to go back home, they’re going to stay there and protect them.
“We will stay there and we will protect them as much as we can, you know why? Because this is the government of Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” he said.
The DFA secretary also clarified that the Philippines was not siding with the U.S in the Middle East crisis.
The situation became calm when a family of an OFW asked Locsin to save her sister working in Saudi Arabia who was barred by her employers to go home.
The secretary asked the complainant for more details and vowed to save her sister from her Saudi employers.
On a tweet, Locsin then teased the media for their report about the confrontation.
“Hoy, mga sioki, “Bugbugin mo ako. Sige.” I shouted at them. That’s not a challenge but an invitation,” said Locsin.