Turning the other cheek

Cong Corrales

ONE of the things that are best given but not received: a slap in the face. To the recipient, there is something emasculating about being slapped. I’ve heard it before. A friend told me he’d rather be punched than get slapped. It’s like you become the slapper’s  b**ch or something. Even the penalty, I heard it’s way worse than if you punched someone–unless, of course, if you punched a girl, then you are the b**ch in that equation.

Councilor Zaldy Ocon slapping traffic aide Ric Emmanuel Agustin has been trending buzz lately. Before the formal start of our board meeting at the Press Club, naturally the Ocon slapping incident was the conversation fodder. Ocon, after all, used to be a media practitioner and many in the club have known Ocon before he became a politico.

We even “dissected” the live interview of club director Rey Maraunay and Ocon. Some members posit that Ocon sounding impertinent because he feels “betrayed” at how Maraunay grilled him on air. It was like the Ocon’s subtext was “I was one of your anchors. Give me some slack.”

But for me, since Ocon entered the realm of local politics, he has become fair game.

One member said the traffic aide had the slap coming. He cited the many instances where he encountered uncouth, disrespectful, and rude traffic aides. This guy even said that had Agustin did what he did to Ocon to him, he would give Agustin more than a slap across the face.

Another member of the club said he was with Ocon when Agustin issued a traffic ticket in Cogon. He claimed Ocon appeared jovial and was in a “good mood,” even after he received his traffic ticket. This club member said he approached Ocon when he saw a traffic aide was issuing the councilor a ticket. He asked what it was all about. Ocon answered he committed a violation by parking in a loading/unloading only area.

The club member was there when Ocon asked Agustin’s name. Agustin, according to the club member who witnessed the incident, replied by yanking his nameplate and shoved it in Ocon’s face saying: “Nia ra akong pangalan o.” Agustin reportedly added: “Ka arogante ba nimo kagawad.” He was apparently displeased to be asked of his name.

However, the skewed version of the incident was that Agustin issued Ocon a traffic ticket then the latter slapped Agustin. However, the fact is Ocon did not slap Agustin as he was issuing the ticket. The slapping incident happened at the city council a day later.

The fact that the slapping incident happened a day after the supposed traffic violation would mean the action had nothing to do with the traffic violation itself.

But I maintain that what Ocon did–being a city councilor–was unconscionable. However, outbursts like that do not happen in a vacuum. There must have been an exchange of unsavory words and it would be hypocritical for anybody to say they would never think of slapping somebody. Of course, we do think it sometimes–we, as law-abiding citizens just do not do it. I mean, go around slapping anybody who crosses us. We are, after all, not in the stone age anymore.

Methinks checking into the inter-personal communications skills of traffic aides could balance things out. Traffic czar Egay Uy should also look into how his traffic aides behave when dispensing their duties just as the council’s ethics committee should look into Ocon’s slapping personality.