Robin gets flak for calling youth ‘weak’ 

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February 14, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Robin Padilla is facing a wave of criticism from netizens and mental health advocates after he called the younger generation “weak” and “iyakin” or crybabies,  unlike him.

Padilla made the statement during a Senate hearing on Tuesday on bills tackling children’s social media use.

The 56-year-old actor-turned-politician said his generation was more street smart, compared to the “digital native” Gen-Zs and millennials.

But netizens were quick to point out the irony of a man who called others “weak” for crying when he himself has cried on national TV.

Advocates and experts including the Psychological Association of the Philippines stressed: “The Filipino youth is not weak.”

They reminded Padilla that depression should not be trivialized and adult depression also exists.

Television host Kim Atienza, who lost his daughter Emman in 2025, reminded Padilla that depression is not a simple matter of generational divide as he urged the senator to show more compassion.