Oh boy, what has pro-government Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa gotten himself into?

The neophyte lawmaker is once again in the center of controversy after he made a joke yesterday that rankled netizens, who felt that it was way too insensitive.

During the end of a hearing, which some lawmakers virtually attended through Cisco Webex, several senators were saying goodbye to each other when Dela Rosa, who was working remotely, said, “Sarap ng buhay! Sarap ng buhay. Ganito na lang tayo palagi, ha?”  That translates to, “This is the good life! This is the good life. Let’s do this more often, OK?”

When the clip was circulated online, some netizens felt that the joke was done in poor taste, especially because millions of Filipinos have lost their jobs while hundreds have died due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But Dela Rosa explained that he just made the joke because meeting virtually, he thought, was more efficient.

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Read: ‘I will sink and swim with him’: Dela Rosa has no plans to support senators’ VFA petition out of loyalty to Duterte

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“I said ‘Life is good’ because the discussion of the bills when we’re using Webex is quicker and our session ends earlier. I think it’s more efficient to conduct our session via Webex as long as the attendees’ WiFi signal is stable,” he told ABS-CBN News in English and Filipino.

But netizens are having none of Dela Rosa’s explanations, such as @@MABuendiaHD who tweeted, “Bato dela Rosa getting a seat in the senate is one of Philippine politics’ biggest clownery. It shows what a joke this country has become. In a thinking society, he wouldn’t even get elected as a village Captain. But of course, that’s democracy. The majority put an idiot into power.”

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Twitter user @whotfisalo asked, “Is it just me or is it my first time seeing Bato Dela Rosa during this pandemic? And then he’s gonna say that?”

“Just wow, Bato dela Rosa. Wow. Thousands of people are dead. Millions around the world have lost their jobs. Wow,” tweeted @zryanverse.

Do you think the senator’s joke was inconsiderate? Tell us what you think by leaving a comment below or tweeting to @CoconutsManila.

This article, Insensitive? Senator Dela Rosa slammed by netizens for ‘Sarap buhay’ joke, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia’s leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters!

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