Liza Marcos addresses viral incident with Chiz Escudero: 'We both had a good laugh over that'
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos has addressed the viral incident with Senate President Chiz Escudero during the Vin d’Honneur at Malacañang on June 12.
ICYMI, Araneta-Marcos drew flak from the public after she was seen taking Escudero's wine glass and taking a sip before handing it back to him. She then makes her way to socialize with other guests.
WATCH: First Lady Liza Marcos grabs and sips from Senate President Chiz Escudero’s wine glass during yesterday’s vin d’honneur.
— Hana Bordey (@HanaBordey) June 13, 2024
Video from RTVM pic.twitter.com/VlVFGMZVlN
In her statement, as shared by DZRH News on Friday, June 14, Araneta-Marcos detailed what transpired.
The first lady shared that she and President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. were greeting 82 ambassadors and international officials for over an hour at 10 a.m. before coming to where Escudero and House Speaker Martin Romualdez were standing.
“When Chiz saw me, he said, ‘Wow bilib din ako sa’yo’, may energy ka pa after standing and smiling for over an hour. I’m sure you could use a drink,’” she recalled, saying that she responded with a laugh and said, “You bet!”
“And so I mischievously got his glass of champagne, took a sip and told him, ‘Eeeew hindi naman malamig ang champagne mo.’ After that, I gave his champagne glass back to him and we both had a good laugh over that,” the first lady continued, adding that she believes the whole situation lasted for 10 seconds.
“I’ve known Chiz since my law school days, he studied in UP (University of the Philippines) and I went to Ateneo, we’ve been friends for like forever,” she said, adding “So whether 'I made him a waiter' and/or 'he responded ‘like a gentleman,’ is between us.”
Escudero first addressed the issue on June 13, saying he was just being a gentleman to the first lady.
"I consider waiting on a lady (first or otherwise) to be gentlemanly," the senator said.
"Maaaring sabihin ng iba na maka-luma o parang ‘under’ pero para sakin, hindi kailanman magiging maka-luma o di uso, ano man ang itawag ng iba, ang pagiging maginoo at pakikipag-kapwa tao," he added.