Another explosion on Twitter has occurred, this time due to a controversial statement made by Harry Roque today on the SWS survey on adult joblessness. He says, and I quote, “Ako po’y nagagalak na hindi tayo 100% nawalan ng trabaho kasi sa tagal po naglolockdown tayo, I’m still surprised at our resilience, at 45% pa lang po ang nawawalan ng trabaho.”
This sparked anger on social media, specifically Twitter, with people quoting the tweet and angrily reacting to it. People have pointed out his flippant use of the word “pa lang” and have also stressed that 45% of people is nearly half the population. When it comes down to numbers, some Twitter users have pegged this 45% to 20 million people or so as jobless and without a source of income during the lockdown.
https://twitter.com/ALOveyoutoo/status/1295231065028665344
https://twitter.com/spear_moonie/status/1295257468885377024
Many want to remind Roque that these percentages are not just numbers, but real people who have resorted to begging on the streets. Jeepney drivers, construction workers, and all kinds of people have lost their livelihoods due to the pandemic.
https://twitter.com/itsroycastillo/status/1295267844184104960
Roque talking about jobless Filipinos like a battery percentage
45% PA LANG ?! pic.twitter.com/XJhV8wKc5z
— Ù‹ (@lallaiina) August 17, 2020
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