Senator Cynthia Villar apologizes Wednesday, May 20, for a remark on the middle class that earned the ire of Filipinos online. Read:
SORRY. File photo of Senator Cynthia Villar. Photo from Office of the senator. MANILA, Philippines – Senator Cynthia Villar apologized on Wednesday, May 20, to those offended by her remark thatrichest senator said her comments during the virtual Senate hearing on Tuesday were not"meant to be an affront to the hardworking middle class of the country.
" "I might have framed my questions and statements in such a manner that made it seem I was insensitive to the plight of the middle income sector. I am not," she said.During the Senate hearing on Tuesday, Villar cited the 2015 census – latest available – that only 59% of the 22 million Filipino families were considered poor. She then assumed that, if the government's cash aid program covered 18 million families, then the beneficiaries included some from the middle class. Yet, despite the number of families that the national government tries to cover, there have been complaints from the ground that really poor families have been excluded from the list, while those who are not exactly hard-up received cash subsidies."Bakit bibigyan 'yung middle [class] eh may trabaho sila? Kahit lockdown, sumusuweldo sila sa gobyerno kung employed by the government. Kung employed naman ng mga private, nagsusuweldo din sila. Kaya nga nahihirapan 'yung mga companies because they have to pay the salaries even if there is no business,"Philippines' richest businessman Manny Villar"Kasi kami, libu-libo ang empleyado namin, kahit hindi sila napasok, sinusuwelduhan namin. Eh bakit sila pa ang bibigyan ng [subsidy]? Eh may s'weldo sila. Mapalad sila may s'weldo sila,"her for being insensitive. She said:"The intention of my questions yesterday was to clarify reports about the middle class workers who remain employed but have been included as among the beneficiaries" of the government's cash assistance."The workers who continue to receive their salaries during the quarantine were excluded as eligible beneficiaries because they did not lose their income even amid the strict quarantine setup," she said in her statement. Under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, 18 million Filipino families were identified to receive P5,000 to P8,000 from the government's emergency subsidy program. P200 billion was allocated to this program, to be given in two tranches. The government expanded the list to cover 5 million more families who would be prioritized for the second tranche of the cash aid program. The Department of Labor and Employment reported that since the lockdown started, at least 2.3 million workers from the private sector have been laid off or placed under a"No Work, No Pay" scheme.– to augment private sector workers' salaries. But DOLE was able to assist only 650,000 people due to limited funds. –
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