Bato lets out sigh of relief as plenary session ends early: ‘Sarap ng buhay!’

Rookie Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa was not able to hide his happiness when the hybrid plenary session was suspended relatively early at the Senate on Tuesday.

"Sarap ng buhay! Sarap ng buhay! Ganito na lang tayo palagi ha?" Dela Rosa said in jest after Senate President Vicente Sotto III officially suspended the session.

Most of the senators were waving goodbye to each other when Dela Rosa made the remark. The livestreamed video was muted shortly after.

WATCH: Neophyte Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa lets out sigh of relief after the hybrid plenary session ended relatively early on Tuesday: “Sarap ng buhay! Ganito na lang tayo palagi ha!” The session ran for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/QYx7x5wEWp

— Dona Magsino (@donamagsino) May 26, 2020

Dela Rosa later gave an explanation for his reaction in a message to reporters.

"Kaya nasabi kong ang sarap nang 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," he said.

Dela Rosa was also present during the virtual Senate hearing of the committee on health on Tuesday morning, at the sidelines of which he joked about his outfit of the day.

"Hindi ito polo, barong. Barong ito na stripes-stripes... 'yung nirerentahan sa punerarya. Tingnan mo, sa Quiapo ito, ready-made," Dela Rosa said after Senator Pia Cayetano complimented his get-up.

For three days last week, members of the Senate constituted themselves into a Committee of the Whole and conducted hours-long of hearings on COVID-19.

The Senate rules were amended earlier this month to allow both physical and online attendance and participation of its members to prevent COVID-19 transmission in the chamber. — BM, GMA News