Senator Robinhood Padilla on Friday defended himself after photos and videos circulated online suggesting he raised his middle finger during the singing of the national anthem at Wednesday’s Senate session.
Padilla insisted the photos were misleading, saying he was raising his index finger, not his middle finger.
He described the gesture as a sign of faith in Islam, symbolizing the oneness of God, and not an obscene action.
“I would rather die than do that (obscene gesture),” he said.
“I ask that we not mock this because it is the foundation of the Muslim faith. When we sing the national anthem, we perform this gesture; we truly love the Philippines, but Lord Allah comes first,” Padilla added.
The senator slammed a report from Rappler which erroneously said he flashed the “dirty finger.”
Rappler apologized for the false report, saying no disrespect toward Padilla and to the Muslim community was intended.
“We take responsibility for unclear communication in the newsroom that led to the posting of content that was still being verified. The video was immediately taken down,” Rappler said.
“We would like to assure our Muslim brothers and sisters that there was no intention to put any sector or faith group in a bad light, and that we are strengthening our internal processes to avoid mistakes like this in the future,” it added.
