CAGAYAN de Oro City Councilor George Goking invited Filipino media personality Richard Foronda Heydarian to visit Mindanao to see for himself if his statement about Mindanao's human development index (HDI) being at a "Sub-Saharan African level" is true.
In an interview with local media, Goking, the city's chairman of the Committee on Trade, Commerce, and Ways and Means, expressed disagreement with Heydarian's comparison of Mindanao's living conditions to those of Sub-Saharan Africa, noting that Mindanao is developing rapidly.
"On the statement that we are substandard, I totally disagree," Goking said.
"I would like to challenge the guy in a friendly manner. Sometimes, limited knowledge can be very dangerous," he added.
The city councilor even invited the political analyst to visit Cagayan de Oro, offering to pay for Heydarian's travel expenses if he could not afford to come.
"I invite him to Cagayan de Oro, which is part of Mindanao, to see for himself what Mindanao really is. I don’t know if he has been to Mindanao before, but if he can't afford to come, I will pay for his fare, just to correct his data," Goking said.
"I hope he refrains from making such statements until he sees for himself how productive Mindanao is, especially Cagayan de Oro," he added.
Heydarian faced social media backlash after making the controversial statement during a CNN interview, where he shared his opinions on the recent warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against former President Rodrigo Duterte.
"I come from the north of the country, where our human development index is almost on par with Southern Europe. But if you go to Mindanao, their human development index is at a Sub-Saharan African level," Heydarian's statement sparked widespread criticism.
Filipinos, particularly those from Mindanao, expressed their strong disapproval via social media, accusing Heydarian of demeaning Mindanao and its people.
In addition to the outrage, some people responded with humor and sarcasm, posting memes.
Meanwhile, Heydarian addressed the issue on his Facebook page, condemning trolls for twisting his words.
"Despite all the fake news & misrepresentation, remember, we are all 'SUB-TROPICAL.' Thank you for your support, folks, and apologies if there was any misunderstanding," Heydarian wrote in his post.
On the other hand, the political analyst has been declared "persona non grata" in Isabela City, Basilan, after the city council passed a resolution condemning his statements as "derogatory and disparaging" and a direct assault on the dignity of every person in Mindanao. (Jo Ann Sablad/SunStar Philippines)