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.
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During a February 11 Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media hearing, Padilla called today’s children “weak,” saying the word “depression” wasn’t common in his generation and that young people now use it too readily.
Critics pointed out Padilla himself cried publicly during a Senate hearing about Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest and evaded authorities for over a month in 1990 after a firearms case. Journalist Lynda Jumilla and writer Jerry Gracio were among those who publicly criticized his remarks.
No. On February 12, Padilla addressed the backlash on Facebook without backing down, saying his generation wasn’t “weak” partly because social media and the term “depression” weren’t prevalent then, and blamed social media exposure for mental health struggles among children today.
Doctor Jai Cabajar noted that as a lawmaker, Padilla has the power to improve systemic mental health support for young people, but instead labeled them “weak.” Media consultant Noemi Dado added that awareness of mental health issues isn’t the same as weakness.
The remarks were made during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media, which was addressing the safety of children on social media, according to the article’s original framing.
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