BUGBOG-sarado man sa kabi-kabilang bashing dahil sa ‘epal’ photo, nanindigan si Speaker Alan Cayetano na uulitin pa niya ito kung kinakailangan.
“If you ask me to hold up a sign again, and even if the sign curses at me but it gets people to read and gets people to stay home, I will do it again and again and again,” pahayag ni Cayetano habang dedma sa matitinding kritisismo na kanyang tinanggap mula sa ilang kapwa niya legislator at netizens.
Sa special session na ginawa nitong Lunes para pag-usapan ang mga panukala pano lalabanan ang coronavirus disease o Covid-19, nagpa-picture si Cayetano kasama si Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, at ilan pang mga miyembro ng Kamara, habang hawak ang isang poster na may mensaheng: “Together with doctors and frontliners, we went to work for you, so please stay home for us.”
Hindi ito nagustuhan ng marami at binansagan lang itong isang napakalaking gimik gamit ang ginagawang tunay na pagsasakripisyo ng mga frontliners na lumalabas sa coronavirus.
Ginawan din ito nang iba’t ibang memes.
Sa kanyang speech Martes ng madaling araw, nilinaw ni Cayetano na gusto lamang niyang bigayang diin sa publiko ang kahalagahan ng pananatili sa bahay ngayong matindi ang banta ng Covid19.
“Tayo pong mga kongresista, there’s no doubt: whatever happens, trabaho nating pumunta dito … But what about the staff to my right? The staff to my left? The staff that is in the lounge? The guards that are outside? What’s P8,000 or P15,000 to them now when they can lose their life by getting infected? We’re doing this because, we have to do it because, with lack of knowledge, people die,” pahayag ni Cayetano.
“We meant well. Now if people will criticize us for meaning well, as long as alam natin tama ang ating ginagawa,” paliwanag pa niya.