Piñol said the misconduct of the two officials – Saibin Panolong and Makakiling Ismael – has jeopardized the agricultural support plan. Panolong and Ismael apologized on Monday through an open letter uploaded on social media in reaction to Piñol’s demand for a public apology. They said they “unintentionally” touched the female staff of Piñol when she was taking pictures while they were moving hurriedly at a congested area. We are willing to step down as councilors should we be proven guilty of such an indecent act,” the two added. The original post showing the photos of the accused was deleted late Monday but other websites echoed the secretary’s disgust.

Source: Manila Times February 21, 2017 13:05 UTC