ACTS OFW Representative Aniceto “John” Bertiz III on Wednesday, September 26, apologized to the passers of the Agriculture and Biosystems Engineers Liscensure Exam after he said in jest that they will not be able to get their Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) license if they do not know Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go.

“I take the full responsibility of that joke and I really apologize. I did not mean to anger, belittle or offend in any way. It was an inappropriate joke and I really feel sorry about it. Secretary Bong Go has nothing to do with the joke that I expressed during that event. Pasensiya na po,” Bertiz said in a press conference.

In the video that went viral on social media, Bertiz asked the board passers who were about to take oath if they know Go.

When the crowd answered in the negative, he said, “‘Wag na natin ituloy ‘to. ‘Wag nang bigyan ng mga lisensiya to kung hindi... Uliitin ko ha yung hindi nakakakilala kay Secretary Bong Go, walang PRC license mamaya.”

Bertiz, who represented Go during the oath-taking of the engineers last Tuesday, September 25, at the Century Park Hotel in Malate, Manila said he only made a joke similar to stand up commedies.

“It was more of like ang hindi pumalakpak mamamatay kind of joke," he said.

He added that it had nothing to do with Go’s message for the board passers which he delivered.

Go, the keynote speaker for the oath taking, did not make it to the event.

Bertiz noted that even the first speakers who spoke about the programs of President Rodrigo Duterte were booed. He said the board passers reportedly questioned why there were politicians present during the event.

Despite this, Bertiz congratulated the board passers whom he said can help the country solve issues on agriculture and rice deficits. (SunStar Philippines)