“I WAS merely misinterpreted."
Roger Yap made this stand when approached by Spin.ph to confirm if he was the former PBA player accused by Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto of shouting expletives at City Hall personnel distributing relief goods in his village.
“Ako 'yun. Pero hindi ako nagwala. Kasi bakit ako magwawala eh tumutulong na nga yung LGU namin sa mga tao,” said the former PBA All-Star, who played for Purefoods, FedEx, Shell, San Miguel, and Barako Bull in a 16-year career.
The former Purefoods point guard said was only telling the barangay officials of Mangahan, Pasig to distribute the relief goods in a manner that would maintain order and lessen the risk of new coronavirus (COVID-19) infections.
“Ang totoo nyan, sinabihan ko 'yung mga tao ng barangay na huwag na nilang papilahin pa ang tao para kunin yung grocery na worth P300, ibigay na nila sa bahay-bahay yung grocery,” Yap said.
“Yan din naman ang utos ni Pangulong Digong. Ibigay na ng diretso para hindi na pipila, maiiwasan yung hawaan,” added the former backcourt partner of PBA star James Yap.
The 42-year old said it made little sense that the barangay officials distributed the food coupons among residents of Green Park Village, only to have them line up later to collect the goods in a mobile palengke.
Such a system could only heighten the risk of infection, he said.
“Yun lang ang sinabi ko. Siguro dahil sa Bisaya ako, akala nila galit ako. Kaya na-misinterpret ako. Pero hindi ko aawayin ang tao ng barangay lalo na si Mayor Vico, bayaw siya ng barkada ko (Marc Pingris),” he said.
At the same time, Yap revealed that he and Sotto already met in his office at the Pasig City Hall on Tuesday afternoon to clear the air.
“Pinuntahan ko talaga siya at kinausap, kasi sabi ko, 'Mayor Vico, nasisira ako. Hindi naman ako nagwala at lalong hindi ako galit sa yo,'” he said.
Yap said he also told the mayor he is willing to face his accusers.
"Sabi ko nga kay Mayor Vico, willing ako makaharap yung mga nagsumbong sa kanya na nagwala at nagmura ko. Para idepensa ko sarili ko," he said.
Yap said the meeting with Sotto ended positively, with the former agreeing to join Pingris in a basketball clinics to be launched in Pasig when the lockdown is over.
“Hindi man kami nag shake hands, nag shoulder bump kami after. I hope he clears this soon. Kasi malawak ang social media following nya, talo ako, lalo na kung negative ako na lalabas sa ipo-post nila,” said Yap.
“Pero natuwa ako kasi seven times ako sinabihan ni Mayor Vico ng pasensya na. Binilang ko yun. Ang daming tao na nakarinig nun. Hintayin ko na maglabas siya ng statement ulit, sana positive nay un para sa kin at ma-clear na ako. Kasi apektado rin ang pamilya ko. Basta ako nalinaw ko na sa kanya yung side ko.”
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