Senator Robin Padilla has called today’s youth “weak,” but Filipinos on social media are having none of it.
In a hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media on Wednesday, February 11, Padilla said, “Ang mga bata ngayon, sad to say, ‘wag kayong magagalit sa akin — nako, maraming batang magagalit siguro, pero pasensya na kayo — you are weak.”
He added, “Noong panahon namin, hindi uso ‘yong salitang ‘depression.’ Hindi ko nga alam ‘yon e, kung ano ‘yong depression. Ngayon, batang maliit, sasabihin ‘I’m depressed.’ Magulo.”
The internet didn’t take kindly to Padilla’s statement. Many pointed out that the senator has also shown “weakness” in public, crying during a Senate hearing about the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte. The Senator also notoriously hid from authorities and evaded arrest for over a month in 1990 after he was found in possession of high-powered firearms. Duterte granted Padilla absolute pardon for the case in 2016.
Commenting on the ex-convict’s statement, veteran broadcast journalist Lynda Jumilla said on X, “Said the guy who got out of jail early only because showbiz lawmaker-friends bailed him out via amendments to the illegal firearms law.”
Writer Jerry Gracio said, “Paano hindi made-depress ang mga bagets, e nakikita nila si Robinhood sa Senado.”
“Awareness isn’t weakness. Just because we didn’t have a name for it in the past doesn’t mean people weren’t suffering then,” said media consultant and blogger Noemi Dado.
Others pointed out that Padilla, as a lawmaker, is in a position to address systemic issues regarding mental health. Doctor Jai Cabajar wrote, “Robin Padilla has all the power to change the system to make it easier for us pero tatawagin na lang kayong weak.”
On Thursday, February 12, Padilla took to social media to address the comments criticizing him, but didn’t back down. “Ang henerasyon ko hindi naging weak at hindi naging sikat ang salitang ‘depression’ dahil wala pa ang social media,” he said on Facebook, asserting that social media addiction and exposure to negative comments cause “weakness, depression, physical at mental health issues” in children.
