Colombia’s Senate president, Juan Manuel Corzo, publicly apologized to the country Wednesday for complaining that his monthly salary of $11,500 was not enough for him to be able to fill up his two cars with petrol.
Corzo sparked a controversy with his statements in defense of a proposed gasoline subsidy for members of the Senate, saying that it was necessary because it was “physically and economically impossible, with our salary, to pay for the gasoline of two cars.”
The senate president publicly announced to the press, “I made an improper statement, which has caused me to apologize to the state and of course to the Colombian people.”
Corzo also made the apologies on his Twitter page, despite having condemned Twitter users for making negative statements against him on the social networking site in regards to his support of the gasoline subsidy. Corzo went on to say, “my words produced an affront to the Colombian people in general and for that reason in particular I will not make use of the gasoline subsidy.”
An ongoing protest against the Senate leader, known as the “Corzoton,” continues to demand the resignation of Corzo over his controversial statements.
