(SPOT.ph) News broke on Saturday, April 10, that Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque was admitted to a local hospital for COVID-19 treatment. This was amid long queues at health facilities in and around Metro Manila, with some even dying in their own cars or outside the emergency room after not being able to get a hospital bed. When asked on Monday, April 12, how he was able to secure a hospital room despite the scarcity, Roque replied: "With all due respect, that is an un-Christian question."
Manila Bishop Broderick Pabillo doesn't seem to happy about the remark. On Tuesday, April 13, he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo: "It was uncalled for na bansagan mo ang mga taong nagtatanong nang maayos naman at legitimate naman ang question. Hindi. Papaano naging 'un-Christian' 'yon? It was an innocent question."
Pabillo explained that government officials should answer the public's questions with transparency. "'Yan ang problema. Pag nagtatanong, sa halip na sagutin ang tanong, ad hominem ang kanilang sagot, titirahin ang nagtatanong. Hindi naman tama 'yon," the bishop added.
Folks online have also expressed their disapproval of Harry Roque's "ad hominem" reply:
The Virgin Mary is shookt.
New staple answer for chismosa titas.
Or for ignoring the hard questions.
And the even harder questions.
Period. No erase. Tapon susi.
Oh yes, someone quoted the Bible.
We see what you did there.
The reply has also inspired some funny web comics:
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