SENIOR Citizens Party-list Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes criticized Leyte Rep. Richard “Goma” Gomez over the latter’s alleged mistreatment of a senior sports official during the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
Ordanes said Gomez’s reported actions toward Philippine Fencing Association (PFA) president Rene Gamuca were unacceptable and should not be brushed aside, especially given the official’s age and position.
“Malinaw sa akin ang simpleng katotohanan. Ang paggalang sa nakakatanda ay hindi lamang kaugalian—ito ay obligasyon,” Ordanes said in a statement.
Reports earlier claimed that Gomez allegedly hurt and verbally berated Gamuca following a dispute over the replacement of an athlete set to compete in a fencing event.
Ordanes stressed that tensions and strong emotions should never justify disrespect. “Sa gitna ng tensyon, aberya at matitinding emosyon, ang paggalang sa matanda ay hindi dapat nawawala,” he said.
He clarified that he was not passing judgment on the incident but said he could not ignore the alleged treatment of the 64-year-old Gamuca.
Gomez is a former head of the PFA and currently serves as one of its officials.
