A partylist lawmaker representing public transport drivers on Thursday rued how her wedding on private island Balesin turned into a "political spectacle" when it was supposed to be a private affair.
Negative comments on the wedding are "heartbreaking," said DUMPER PTDA partylist Rep. Claudine Diana Bautista, who wore a white Cinderella ballgown from Dubai-based Filipino couturier Michael Cinco. She said the ceremony was the "product of my husband's hard work".
"My husband has been planning this special day with me for years even before the pandemic, and it pains us to see how things after our wedding turned out. This was supposed to be the culminating event of a decades-long love story," Bautista said.
Bautista said Cinco had apologized to her for posting photos of the bride in her wedding dress.
Transport group MANIBELA had called out Bautista over the nuptials, saying the lawmaker should have been at the forefront of helping the transport sector during the pandemic.
Bautista said she had been doing everything in her capacity to help the transport sector recover from the pandemic --- from vaccinating 18,000 PUV drivers to providing them assistance through government agencies.
The lawmaker said she made sure that grocery packs, PPEs, free insurance policies, and relief assistance were distributed to affected PUV drivers and commuters. She said she even donated P3 million from her personal funds to doctors and nurses.
"Moving forward, I want to move past this issue and focus on pressing matters - the pandemic and serving better my constituents. I will no longer indulge in the statements by people of influence against me as I will leave it up to my legal team to address this," Bautista said.
"As a public servant, I have always been transparent with my office’s accomplishments and ongoing efforts, and we will continue to do so despite detractors aiming to change the narrative and devalue our achievements," she added.
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