The Azkals get bitten
Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc. |
NINFA R. LEONARDIA
Editor-in-Chief & President | CARLA
P. GOMEZ Editor
CHERYL CRUZ
Desk Editor
PATRICK PANGILINAN
Busines
Editor
NIDA A. BUENAFE
Sports Editor
RENE GENOVE Bureau
Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising
Coordinator | CARLOS
ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer |
It is unfortunate that the case involving the alleged sexual harassment of Cristy Ramos and the Azkals, the football team representing the country in international competitions, had come up, not only at the time when the group is readying for an important game, but also when the world, as well as the Philippines, is marking International Women’s Day.
When the report about the alleged harassment of the daughter of former President Fidel Ramos, came out, it had not been very clear yet what had actually happened to prod Ms. Ramos, known for her deep involvement and leadership in the country’s sports activities, to file such a serious complaint against the players, some of whom are either of foreign blood, or with Filipino roots.
As the explanations went, Ms. Ramos, doing her official function of checking on the athletes, had entered their quarters where the team was engaged in some horseplay, and some were not in decent attire.
Ms. Ramos said she had knocked at their door before coming in, while the boys said they had not expected a visitor, a woman at that. That would not have been a problem if they had not, as Ms. Ramos narrated, made sexist quips that offended her, aside from the way they did not bother to cover themselves properly even after she had come in.
One might also question why an arrangement or a schedule for such a visit had not been made beforehand, which might have prevented the possibility of such an incident taking place.
That is all water under the bridge now, so we will just await what the sports bodies in charge of these players will do about the incident and the complaint. It is possible that the non-Filipino ones among the players did not know how to behave with women like the ones we have in this country that is known to the world as one with the most powerful, influential, and liberated in the world.
In the meantime, let the incident give a cue to all athletes, whether native or foreign, on how we treat the female of the species here.*
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