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Palau dive company wants Senate to censure senator
By Bernadette H. Carreon
Horizon news staff
The owner of Sams Tour dive company has asked Senate President Surangel Whipps Sr. to take punitive action against Sen. Alfonso Diaz for his offensive behavior toward the companys guests and Filipino dive staff member.
Sam Scott urged the Senate to censure Diaz for conduct unbecoming of a senator, as failure to do so may otherwise appear as an endorsement of his actions, which I trust is not the case.
Diaz said Scott should go home.
Scott, in his letter to Whipps, said the incident occurred at the Emaimelai Restaurant on Feb. 2.
He said three of their tour guests and dive guide were having dinner when Diaz interrupted my guests dinner and began loudly accusing my staffer of lying to tourists and went on to tell our guests that You dont listen to the Filipinos; they have no vote; they are nothing. He then strongly admonished my guests to direct future questions about Palau to Palauans, not Filipinos.
Diaz is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Tourism Development.
According to Scott, the senator continued to berate the guests and said that he was tired of Filipino workers giving false information to tourists.
He stated that he had "introduced a bill to solve the problem.
The guests, Scott said, tried to defend the diver by telling the senator what he had actually told them.
Diaz called the guests liars, Scott said.
Asked for comment, Diaz said: This is my Palau and I will die to defend it anytime.
Diaz said the guests should have addressed their question regarding Palau to the right person.
Scotts letter quoted the guests as saying that Diaz showed discourtesy as a public official and his behavior was unbecoming of a senator.
We were outraged at the discourtesy of a public official eavesdropping on a private conversation, and then publicly calling me and my brother liars when we recounted what happened. We were further appalled at the attack on a hard working Filipino dive master on your staff who has been a good friend of ours for several years. As you know, we have been coming to Palau regularly for the last four years, the guests told Scott.
Diazs action, they added, is unacceptable.
Scott said Diaz makes it plainly clear that he is neither emotionally nor intellectually equipped to be in the presence of tourists, let alone be chairman of a Senate Committee on Tourism Development. Any continued chairmanship by Senator Diaz of the committee is nothing short of laughable in the face of his behavior and endangers the very integrity of that institution.
Scott said Diazs behavior has reached a dangerous new low when visitors to Palau cannot even enjoy dinner at a restaurant without fear of abuse from a rude and ranting senator on a misguided crusade against foreign workers.
Diaz, in a letter to Scott, said: Who are you telling us what to do with our country? If you don't like the way we run things here, go home -- nobody asked you to come to our country and tell us what we should do. The reputation of this country is our business and we will defend it whenever it's necessary.
He said Palauans are proud of what he does and that voters elected him to serve in the Senate.
He said he will address the issue in the next Senate session.
Again, if you are not happy here, go home to where you came from and leave us alone. I am so sick and tired of some of you foreigners, especially you, for coming to Palau to take advantage of our beautiful country, ruining our environment, and telling us what is best for us, Diaz said.
Here is the text from the article linked above:
Palau dive company wants Senate to censure senator
By Bernadette H. Carreon
Horizon news staff
The owner of Sams Tour dive company has asked Senate President Surangel Whipps Sr. to take punitive action against Sen. Alfonso Diaz for his offensive behavior toward the companys guests and Filipino dive staff member.
Sam Scott urged the Senate to censure Diaz for conduct unbecoming of a senator, as failure to do so may otherwise appear as an endorsement of his actions, which I trust is not the case.
Diaz said Scott should go home.
Scott, in his letter to Whipps, said the incident occurred at the Emaimelai Restaurant on Feb. 2.
He said three of their tour guests and dive guide were having dinner when Diaz interrupted my guests dinner and began loudly accusing my staffer of lying to tourists and went on to tell our guests that You dont listen to the Filipinos; they have no vote; they are nothing. He then strongly admonished my guests to direct future questions about Palau to Palauans, not Filipinos.
Diaz is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Tourism Development.
According to Scott, the senator continued to berate the guests and said that he was tired of Filipino workers giving false information to tourists.
He stated that he had "introduced a bill to solve the problem.
The guests, Scott said, tried to defend the diver by telling the senator what he had actually told them.
Diaz called the guests liars, Scott said.
Asked for comment, Diaz said: This is my Palau and I will die to defend it anytime.
Diaz said the guests should have addressed their question regarding Palau to the right person.
Scotts letter quoted the guests as saying that Diaz showed discourtesy as a public official and his behavior was unbecoming of a senator.
We were outraged at the discourtesy of a public official eavesdropping on a private conversation, and then publicly calling me and my brother liars when we recounted what happened. We were further appalled at the attack on a hard working Filipino dive master on your staff who has been a good friend of ours for several years. As you know, we have been coming to Palau regularly for the last four years, the guests told Scott.
Diazs action, they added, is unacceptable.
Scott said Diaz makes it plainly clear that he is neither emotionally nor intellectually equipped to be in the presence of tourists, let alone be chairman of a Senate Committee on Tourism Development. Any continued chairmanship by Senator Diaz of the committee is nothing short of laughable in the face of his behavior and endangers the very integrity of that institution.
Scott said Diazs behavior has reached a dangerous new low when visitors to Palau cannot even enjoy dinner at a restaurant without fear of abuse from a rude and ranting senator on a misguided crusade against foreign workers.
Diaz, in a letter to Scott, said: Who are you telling us what to do with our country? If you don't like the way we run things here, go home -- nobody asked you to come to our country and tell us what we should do. The reputation of this country is our business and we will defend it whenever it's necessary.
He said Palauans are proud of what he does and that voters elected him to serve in the Senate.
He said he will address the issue in the next Senate session.
Again, if you are not happy here, go home to where you came from and leave us alone. I am so sick and tired of some of you foreigners, especially you, for coming to Palau to take advantage of our beautiful country, ruining our environment, and telling us what is best for us, Diaz said.