Actress Bela Padilla earned praise for advocating better urban planning after defending residents displaced by the flooding in Cebu.
The showbiz personality, on Monday, November 10, responded to a comment made by Rep. Mark Cojuangco (Pangasinan, Second District) on the X (formerly Twitter) regarding a video compilation showing Cebuanos affected by Typhoon Tino (International name: Kalmaegi).
RELATED:Â Watch: Eroding house begins sliding as floodwaters rage in Consolacion, Cebu
“PANGARAP KO LANG TALAGA IS MAMATAY NA LAHAT NG CORRUPT SA PILIPINAS!” the user who posted the video said with a crying emoji.
PANGARAP KO LANG TALAGA IS MAMATAY NA LAHAT NG CORRUPT SA PILIPINAS! 😠pic.twitter.com/Dn9Y7DBA1k
— RubyJane 🦖 (@hazeeee085) November 8, 2025
The post caught the politician’s attention, prompting him to write: “Bakit kasi sa flood plain gumawa ng tirahan? (facepalm emoji) Takaw sakuna.”
Bela noticed his comment and defended the flood victims and then questioned how the project had been approved by the local government.
“Respectfully, you don’t start giving swimming lessons to a drowning man, sir. You save him first. Why didn’t the LGUs [local government units] stop them from building there in the first place?” she wrote.
“Common folk don’t know where they can or can’t build. I mean — look at Slater Young,” the actress added.
Respectfully, you don’t start giving swimming lessons to a drowning man, sir. You save him first.
Why didn’t the LGUs stop them from building there in the first place? Common folk don’t know where they can or can’t build. I mean-look at Slater Young. https://t.co/ZBO1U9jVhI
— Bela (@bb_belaaa) November 10, 2025
Her post has gone viral, garnering 55,000 likes, 12,000 reposts and over 250 replies, with Filipinos praising her for calling out the project and the politician, who has the means to take concrete action on such issues.
“Speak on it!!!” an online user exclaimed in the replies.
“This. Who regulates where housing is built. Hindi ba the government? Bakit isisi sa mga tao when construction was given a permit to build there?” another wrote.
“Balik na naman sa bakit at papano nagka-permit if hazardous pala. Tapos isisi sa tao who trusted their [government] is doing their job?” the X user added.
Another Filipino suggested that Cojuangco offer aid to the affected Cebuanos instead of blaming residents living in “flood plains.”
“She is correct here. When the dust settles, then it will be a time for reforms, including housing regulations. But for now, instead of being a heartless ghoul, maybe be compassionate and sensitive enough to help, or just STFU while people are suffering from the consequences of bad governance,” the XÂ user said.
“To the congressman, many rich people buys properties which are situated in a better location, they do everything to raise the property price in those areas! How about the middle class or the lower class? They can’t afford those! Instead, they purchase or rent in not-so-good areas,” a different X user said.
‘Look at Slater Young’Â
The controversial The Rise at Monterrazas is a residential development, which is a project of civil engineer and actor Slater Young.
It has been blamed for worsening the flooding in Cebu during the onslaught of Tino, which struck the province last week.
The typhoon has claimed over 230 lives, left 112 missing and injured 532 individuals. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, most of the fatalities were due to drowning, electrocution, and falling trees.
Meanwhile, The Rise at Monterrazas is a luxury condominium inspired by the Banaue Rice Terraces, located on the mountainside of Barangay Guadalupe in Cebu City.
Concerns about the project were raised as early as 2023, when some questioned its long-term environmental impact.
A student publication noted that the project had received two cease-and-desist orders in 2008 and 2011 from Cebu’s local government units due to its impact on the residential areas.
“On both occasions, the development was ordered to stop because of the large-scale flooding it caused in the nearby sitios and barangays. These floods were observed and believed to come about as a result of the project’s development,” a piece from The Science Net said.
The Science Net is a publication of the Philippine Science High School Eastern Visayas Campus.
Lawyer Jesus Falcis also called out Slater in 2023, questioning the extent of land clearing for the project and the capacity of its rainwater systems compared to the natural absorption by trees and soil.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Friday, November 7, said that it has already launched a review of the development.
According to the agency, its technical team would conduct a “comprehensive on-site investigation” to determine whether the project complies with the conditions of its environmental compliance certificate and other existing regulations.
The probe will also examine the project’s drainage system, slope protection and runoff management. — with reports from Philstar.com/Dominique FloresÂ
