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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Bato trends on Twitter because of 'sarap ng buhay' remark

Bato trends on Twitter because of 'sarap ng buhay' remark

Published May 27, 2020 02:09 pm
By Czarina Nicole Ong Ki Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa became a trending topic on Twitter on Wednesday after he made a joke during the end of a Senate regular session. Senator Ronald Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa
(Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa / Facebook page / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Dela Rosa laughed and said "sarap ng buhay (life is good)" because the hearing was finished early without them having to leave their homes, and urged his fellow senators, "ganito na lang tayo palagi, ha (let's do this more often, okay)." However, Dela Rosa's joke did not sit well with netizens. A lot of people thought his remarks were insensitive, given the negative impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on people's lives and health, not to mention the economy. Netizens believe it was not the right time to say "sarap ng buhay (life is good)," given the fact that people are dying and countless more are worried about losing their jobs and going hungry. "What makes this so enraging is that Bato had the audacity to tease us with something we already know-- na ang sarap ng buhay ng mga hintay-sweldo pero nganga sa trabaho (that life is really good for those who are just waiting for their salaries even if they are not doing anything). His stressing the shameful obvious more than paying attention to people's silenced grievances is corruption," fumed a netizen. "Bato being happy that the session ended early shows how much he loves serving the people and how dedicated he is to his job - which in this case, is 1/100. Effort points only. If you ran to serve your country, you would want to get into discussions more, help solve problems," added another. Some netizens even used sarcasm to let off their steam. "Every time I look at my taxes and remember they fund Bato's salary, I want to throw myself off a cliff," commented one.
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