During the singing of the national anthem at PBBM’s SONA, Sen. Robin Padilla made a hand gesture
ROBIN PADILLA – The senator explained the hand gesture he made during the singing of the national anthem at President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA).
On Wednesday, the incumbent senator clarified that the clenched fist with the index finger pointing upward, which caused controversy is actually “a show of Islamic faith” that symbolizes the “oneness of God.” According to Padilla, the gesture represents a phrase frequently recited by Muslims known as Kalima, which translates to “La ilaha ilalah,” signifying the unity of God.
Following the SONA, some netizens criticized Padilla for making this hand gesture. In response, he defended himself by stating that he always does the Kalima La ilaha ilalah with his hand and expressed his willingness to resign rather than be told he cannot practice his faith.
Robin Padilla emphasized that his faith is of utmost importance to him, and if he doesn’t succeed in advocating for a federal parliamentary form of government, he would prefer to become an imam and study the Quran in Malaysia rather than continue as a senator.
“I always do the Kalima La ilaha ilalah with my hand here. Why can’t you do that? I would rather resign than [have] somebody telling me I cannot [practice] my faith,” he said according to Inquirer.net. “If I will not be successful in pushing for a federal parliamentary form of government I’d rather be an imam, I’d rather go to Malaysia and study the Koran than be a senator.”
Padilla’s conversion to Islam occurred in the 1990s while serving his sentence for illegal possession of firearms at the New Bilibid Prison. After being convicted in 1994, he was sentenced to a maximum prison term of eight years. However, in April 1998, then-President Fidel Ramos granted him a conditional pardon.
What can you say about this article? Share your thoughts or insights in the comment section below. For more news and the latest updates, feel free to visit Newspapers.ph more often as well as our Facebook page and YouTube channel.
