“…Whoever strays from the path of prudence comes to rest in the company of the dead…” –Proverbs 21:16

Is there anybody willing to believe the clarification purportedly issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) claiming the personal data of Filipinos was not given to the foreign contractor previously tasked with producing Philippine passports? There is something creepy about the current silence of DFA Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr.

Lower ranking DFA officials were the ones informing the public they had nothing to worry about. However, if it is true that the passport problem is not a huge issue, as the department later claimed personal information was not really transmitted to the foreign contractor, why isn’t the department secretary making the clarification himself?

To me, this only means it was not Locsin who issued the clarification (perhaps he is not convinced there really is no problem or maybe he was ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte to stop talking on the issue). When the scandal first broke, wasn’t it the DFA secretary who emphatically claimed a third party contractor ran off with personal data? In addition, he also claimed the contractor ran off because they were displeased with the termination of their contract.

In all likelihood, Locsin’s pronouncements were grievously wrong.

I suspect he was told not to discuss the matter as he would only cause more fear and confusion; that being said, why hasn’t he been asked to step down? Whatever the truth is involving the data issue, the DFA head committed a huge blunder and the clarification made by his underlings appears to be a rebuke of their superior’s comments.

While his subordinates did not categorically accuse Locsin of lying, their correction stresses the fact that he offered the public a brazen misrepresentation of facts, which shamed the department and the Duterte administration, along with put Philippine passport holder in danger.

Vacating the post would be the only honorable thing he could do under such circumstances.

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