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'Bato' reports to Senate in the flesh after 'good life' gaffe

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Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/news/06/01/bato.jpg"/><figcaption>Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa delivers two sponsorship speeches in the plenary a week after he was criticized for saying that senators have a &quot;good life&quot; because they were allowed to do their work via teleconferencing, June 1, 2020. Screen capture from Senate of the Philippines&#x27; official video stream.</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA - Senator Ronald &quot;Bato&quot; Dela Rosa, who was criticized last week for likening virtual meetings to the &quot;good life,&quot; attended Monday&#x27;s session in person.The burly former national police chief delivered a sponsorship speech for a bill that seeks to increase the recruitment of women into the government&#x27;s police force.&quot;Let us take this opportunity of the presence of Sen. Dela Rosa,&quot; Senate President Vicente Sotto III told senators before recognizing Dela Rosa for his sponsorship speech for Senate Bill 1562, titled &quot;An Act Increasing the Recruitment Quota Requirement of PNP Female Officers, Amending Section 58 of Republic Act 8551.&quot;Sotto told Dela Rosa last week to attend sessions physically after the former law enforcer said doing his duties via video conferencing was like living the &quot;good life (sarap ng buhay).&quot;&quot;What he meant was masarap ang buhay na magserbisyo sa bayan (it is a good life when you can be of service),&quot; Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said as he called Dela Rosa to deliver his speech.&quot;Pahirapan mo siya ngayon (Give him a hard time),&quot; Sotto told Zubiri in jest.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/27/20/sarap-ng-buhay-over-bato-told-to-attend-senate-session-in-person">&#x27;Sarap ng buhay&#x27; over: &#x27;Bato&#x27; told to attend Senate session in person</a></li></ul>After his first speech, Dela Rosa proceeded to deliver another sponsorship statement for another bill that seeks to reduce the height requirement for Philippine National Police applicants.&quot;Double time siya ngayon, Mr. President,&quot; Zubiri said.&quot;The chairman of the Committee on Public Order, you work double time,&quot; Sotto said.&quot;Thank you, Mr. President. Quota na ako, Mr. President,&quot; Dela Rosa replied.When asked about the ribbing during session, Dela Rosa said: &quot;They just simply miss my physical presence on the floor, that is why they allowed me to deliver two sponsorship speeches,&quot; he said.Dela Rosa had told ABS-CBN News that he made the remark because he felt Senate sessions were more efficient when done via online conferencing. &quot;Kaya nasabi kong ang sarap ng buhay kasi mas mabilis ang talakayan ng bills kapag naka-Webex kami at mas maaga matapos ang session. Sa tingin ko, mas efficient ang session via Webex basta maganda lang ang wifi signal ng attendees,&quot; he said when reached by text. (The reason I said life is good is because the discussion of bills was faster with Webex and we finish earlier. I think sessions via Webex are more efficient as long as the WiFi signal of attendees is good.)The Senate shifted to hybrid sessions -- where some members are physically at the session hall in Pasay City and others attend virtually from their homes -- to observe physical distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/26/20/sarap-ng-buhay-bato-says-senate-web-sessions-more-efficient">&#x27;Sarap ng buhay!&#x27;: &#x27;Bato&#x27; says Senate web sessions more efficient</a></li></ul>

Senator Ronald Dela Rosa physically attended the session on Monday, after the Senate leadership instructed him to travel to the Senate building after making a comment that lawmakers were having a good life with their hybrid sessions.

Senator Ronald Dela Rosa physically attended the session on Monday, after the Senate leadership instructed him to travel to the Senate building after making a comment that lawmakers were having a good life with their hybrid sessions.

'Bato' reports to Senate in the flesh after 'good life' gaffe

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'Bato' reports to Senate in the flesh after 'good life' gaffe

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jun 01, 2020 04:14 PM PHT

|

Updated Jun 02, 2020 12:12 AM PHT

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