Makkaria Bee Dela Rosa, daughter of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, has spoken up on the latter’s absence from the public eye amid the COVID-19 crisis.
#NasaansiBato trended over the past days after netizens accused the senator of being “missing in action” while the country deals with the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement released on Facebook, Makkaria said that after several of Bato’s colleagues in Senate tested positive for COVID-19, they had to lock Bato up in his room to prevent him from going outside.
“Sorry, Philippines if we had to keep him away from the public eye for a few days. He was exposed to ALL senators who tested positive so we had to tie him up to a chair, lock him in his room and isolate him from the rest of the world.”
Makkaria added that the senator has been quite stubborn and made a few attempts to escape, so their family had to take control.
“Sa mga di nakakakilala sa kanya, pinaka torture yung paupuin ng 5 minuto na walang ginagawa. Lalo na ngayon na nakikita niya mga tao nasa frontline tapos siya naka quarantine ? Sobrang triggered yung pagka pulis niya haha pero tiis tiis muna kay lets follow the rules,”, she said.
Makkaria also shared that the senator is in good condition and that Bato and his team “has been tirelessly working from home since Day 1”.
“We have distributed thousands of masks, PPEs, sacks of rice, food, etc. as aid to various LGUs, private sectors and hospitals, all without posting them on mainstream media.”
She went on to say that they are “tirelessly coordinating with different govt agencies to make sure everyone gets the help they need and we have been tapping private individuals to fund the procurement of the things we need to distribute.”
“He did not disappear. He simply chose to work, ‘leaving the camera at home.’ Helping feels 100x better this way. You can get pics from those whom we have helped but not from us,” she added.
“In a world full of people competing who gets the most attention, we are the silent workers who chose to work behind the public’s eye. This is your government and we took our oath to serve, for better or for worse, in criticisms and in praise, but no virus will do us part ????.”
On his Facebook page, the senator has been sharing posts by netizens who were beneficiaries of his relief efforts.
