They close up their callous hearts,
and their mouths speak with arrogance (Ps. 17:10 NIV)
“Kaya nasabi kong ang sarap nang buhay kasi mas mabilis ang talakayan ng bills kapag naka-(WebEx) kami at mas maaga matapos ang session,” Dela Rosa said in a message to reporters.
(The reason I said that was because our discussions on the bills were faster as we used WebEx and the session was suspended early).
“Sarap ng buhay, sarap ng buhay, ganito na lang tayo palagi ha?”
(Life is good, life is good, I hope we’re like this all the time.)
In the midst of the pandemic and lockdown, and in a situation when many people are suffering from the loss of jobs and hunger, the Senator managed to make a reckless and thoughtless joke.
This shows how an official with privileges and power is so insensitive. De la Rosa’s statement also exposes the sharp gap in terms of privilege between those who hold positions of power and those who are stuck in the quagmire of poverty. And yet, those who are caught in that morass are his constituents.
He was happy that the session was suspended early. Whether there is a session or no session Mr. Bato de la Rosa, like his fellow lawmakers, is still paid in full amount according to the budgetary allocation. His happy condition is a far cry from the predicament of the many drivers, construction workers, vendors, contractual employees, the security guards, the garbage collectors , and the daily wage earners who, upon imposition of the lockdown, could not earn their keep. They do not even have the assurance that they could avail of the food packs and aids would come their way..
This is the same man who once made a chilling joke during his campaign sortie by saying, “Kasi kung ayaw niyong pumalakpak bukas pa-tokhang ko kayo sa pulis,” ( If you will not clap your hands, I will order the police to kill you.) Tokhang is a slang for “to kill” or “killing” and one that was coined and associated with Duterte’s drug war.
This is the same man who, without any reservation and shame, announced that the war on drugs is a success. He said, “If many believe that the number of drug addicts has gone down, then somehow we are successful.”[1]
This is the same man who, instead of assuring us of investigation and making sure that violators and those responsible for the killings should be made accountable, as the former PNP chief, ignored the atrocities by simply saying: “Let’s forget all the bad things that happened for the sake of the children.”[2]
De la Rosa’s words are not only inappropriate; they are uncalled for. His statements show the high of his insensitivity and injudiciousness. He was not only wrong, but he was also, in reality, incapable of solving the problem of addiction inhumane and just ways. He had also devalued the grief of the tokhang victims’ families. With an extravagance of arrogance and egotism, the former PNP chief entirely missed the point and disregarded the pain and grief of those who lost their loved ones. True to his nickname, Bato (stone), he has a heart of cold stone that does not feel for the people.
Senator dela Rosa must learn compassion and solidarity with the poor people. He must learn to be humble and instead of insulting comments, offer words of hope and mercy. He should learn these lessons from the people from below, who, in spite of material poverty and low status in society, know what hope and mercy means.
The pandemic has only exposed more the ugly attitude of those who are in power. While people are suffering and are dying, Bato de la Rosa is enjoying a life so convenient and “masaya.”
NORMA P. DOLLAGA
Kapatirang SImabhan Para sa Bayan
KASIMBAYAN
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