“Bela Padilla to Mark Cojuangco: ‘Don’t Teach a Drowning Man — Save Him First’”

Actress Bela Padilla is earning praise online after calling out Pangasinan 2nd District Representative Mark Cojuangco for his remark blaming flood victims in Cebu for living in “floodplains.”

Cojuangco’s comment — “Bakit kasi sa flood plain gumawa ng tirahan?” — came as the nation mourned nearly 200 deaths from Typhoon Tino’s devastating floods.

Padilla’s response was sharp but compassionate:

“Respectfully, you don’t start giving swimming lessons to a drowning man, sir. You save him first.”

She further pointed out that poor families often build in risky areas because they have no safer options — and questioned why local governments allowed such housing to begin with.

Her words sparked a wider conversation about accountability, urban planning, and compassion in disaster response.

Because the real issue isn’t where the poor built their homes — it’s where the powerful failed to build protection.

🦅 Politikanta Minute — Tanong na may laman, komento na may pananampalataya.

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