ALESSANDRA de Rossi came to the defense of her sister Assunta after the latter revealed that her employees undergo swab testing every three weeks.
In what seemed to be an indirect response to Senator Cynthia Villar’s “pagbutihin” statement about medical frontliners, Assunta took to Twitter to share how she prevents the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) within her household.
According to Assunta — who is married to former Negros Occidental congressman Jules Ledesma — everyone who works for her and her husband gets swab tested every three weeks.
She wrote: “We get swab-tested every 3 weeks. ALL, including the drivers, the helpers, the secretaries/PAs. We do not take chances. And that… is ‘pagbutihin.’ Tenx!”
Alessandra, echoing her sister’s words, responded: “Hospitals! Pls pass till makarating sa kinauukulan. Chot.”
But Assunta’s words prompted some netizens — including one named Gregg — to take her words rather “privileged,” saying: “Your sister is very rich. What can I say?!”
The “Through Night and Day” star, for her part, defended her sister and said it’s not a case of being rich or not but rather a call for hospitals to do the same for frontliners.
“Walang kinalaman ang rich dito. For the medical frontliners man lang sana. Sa hospitals. Eh ang dinig ko nasa ‘yo na lahat ng symptoms, di ka pa tine-test. Hospitals are very rich. Say more,” she wrote.
She added: “Dapat may batas/budget na para din sa kanila. Para fair. Mandatory ba? Or kanya kanya nalang ba ito? Yun lang naman. Don’t rich, rich. It’s malasakit. You get what you give.”
Another netizen, on the other hand, agreed with Alessandra’s statements and said: As a front liner, every man for himself samin. Parang ngang kasalanan pa namin kung magkaroon kami nang COVID. It’s sad, lalo na for health workers under private companies. Kanya kanya kami nang bayad sa swab testing. Tapos, ‘pag nag quarantine ka, no work no pay pa.”
To which Alessandra replied: “Yun na nga eh. Tapos kasalan pa ng rich kay Gregg. Basa basa ka kaya. I’m with the doctors here. Malasakit. Sana may ganun sa sitwasyon nila. Sana may magsabi. Ako na ba ‘to?”
Meanwhile, Assunta made it clear that she was referring to companies whose workers are currently loaded.
She stated: “I’m just talking about companies/employers who are really loaded. I get it, hindi lahat kaya. Eh, nakakabili kami ng kung anu-ano, swab test biglang naging problema? Doesn’t make sense, right?” (Push)
