There is a time to catch a break. Sure you can take a breather at your workplace but something that'll become a cliched joke is best avoided. More so if cameras are on. Colombian Congressman Cathy Juvinao realised this the hard way. She vaped inside the country's parliament when the house was debating issues about the country's healthcare system. The video of Juvinao, using her vape and scrambling to hide it when camera was pointed at her, has gone viral.
The video may ideally have been a random recording of parliament proceedings. But a routine video imagery turned quite interesting as Juvinao, otherwise looking stately in her formal attire, took a quick puff from her vape. What might have been a blissful (and unhealthy) moment with an air of mischief well-managed soon turned to a scramble. Juvinao tried her best to hide the vape. But what was done was caught in the camera.
But interesting bit starts now. The MP had already taken the smoke in, and there was no way to hide the fact that she was smoking without holding the smoke in till the camera panned away.
But the camera stayed on her.
And she had to let the smoke out, in an embarrassing huff and cough, leaving no doubt for watchers that she indeed was smoking in the parliament.
Watch the video below.
The video led to outraged as well as comical reactions online. People even made memes.
Things hit the fan quickly and Juvinao eventually apologised in a post on X.
"I apologize to the citizens for what happened yesterday in the plenary session. I will not join the bad example that is currently dominating public discourse and it will not be repeated. Rest assured that today I will continue to fight from the House with the same arguments and rigor as always," read the English translation of her post originally written in Spanish.
It remains to be seen if she heaved a sigh of relief.
