Actress and beauty queen Winwyn Marquez questioned the demeanor of some politicians toward their constituents amid the flooding experienced by Filipinos during the habagat season.
The Miss Universe Philippines 2025 first runner-up shared her sentiments following reports that some politicians drew criticism over their attire during flood-related operations, while others urged the public not to rely solely on them during such situations.
“Ako lang po ba, or parang may something talaga sa ibang public servants lately? The way they talk and present themselves… parang kasalanan pa ng mga tao for expecting help after nila malubog sa baha?” Winwyn wrote on Facebook on Tuesday, September 1.
“Read the room. You’re speaking to people you’re supposed to serve. Hindi naman instant solution ang hinihingi, ‘di ba? konting empathy, urgency, at humility lang sana. Talk to them properly. Find solutions. Work with the people instead of making them feel like they’re the problem,” she added.
The showbiz personality also reminded politicians of their responsibilities as elected officials.
“Public service is called service for a reason. Sakit sa brain,” Winwyn said.
Her post garnered 4,900 reactions, nearly 930 shares, and more than 190 comments from social media users who expressed similar sentiment.
“Ganyan ang mga politicians ngayon, walang empathy. Parang kasalanan pa ng mamamayan ang pagbaha,” a Facebook user commented.
“Trueee, grabe. May napanood pako, pagawa na lang daw po ng [second] floor ‘yung mga bahay, na para bang madami pera lahat at afford. Sakit sa bangs ng mga politiko,” another wrote, referring to Rodriguez, Rizal, Mayor Ronnie Evangelista’s comments.
“‘Wag daw iasa lahat sa gobyerno… sabi ng politiko [dito] sa Pampanga… imbes na umisip sila ng paraan para maibsan kahit konti [‘yung] pagbaha,” a different Pinoy said.
The Pinedas
Winwyn did not name any politician in particular, but the Pinedas of Pampanga have recently drawn attention over their attire during flood relief operations and for Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda’s comments about the flooding in the province.
Lilia and her son, Pampanga Vice Gov. Dennis Pineda, faced criticism after they were seen wearing designer clothes while inspecting flood-stricken communities in the province.
Pampanga was among the areas heavily affected by widespread flooding brought by continuous rains from the enhanced southwest monsoon, or habagat). Floodwaters reportedly reached as high as 10 feet in some areas.
The flooding also disrupted transportation, with several barangays and connecting roads declared impassable to light vehicles.
More than 400,000 farmers were also affected, while the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist estimated the total losses at P1.25 billion.
Lilia and Dennis were reportedly seen wearing items from Prada, Burberry and Balmain during their visits to flood-stricken communities.
Some Filipinos criticized their choice of attire, describing it as “insensitive” while residents were dealing with the effects of the flooding.
Lilia later apologized for the outfits, saying she considered incident a “wake-up call.”
“Kung makita man nila ‘yon, nagkamali kami sa ganoong attire namin, sorry. Kasi talagang kapag gumising kami sa isang umaga, kung ano lang ang madampot mo, ‘yun lang ang isusuot mo kasi malakas ang ulan, matubig,” she said.
“Siyempre ‘yung mga kababayan natin ngayon, talaga naman may mga comment sila na iginagalang namin ‘yung mga comment nila. Siguro sa akin, parang wake-up call din sa akin na ganoon,” Lilia added.
“Pero hindi ako ‘yung maluhong tao kasi. ‘Yun lang sigurong araw na ‘yon. Pero kung titingnan mo lang ako, ‘yung bihis ko, hindi ako ganoon,” she continued.
The governor also urged her constituents not to rely too heavily on the government amid concerns over the flooding in the province.
“Sa atin pong mga kababayan, ang makakapagpigil ‘yung ating Panginoon. Magdasal po tayo kasi ito ay kalamidad na hindi naman natin kagustuhan,” she said in an interview.
“So sana po makinig lang po kayo sa mga abiso, ‘pag may warning, sumunod po tayo. Wala po tayong kailangang tanungin dito, dasal at makinig sa mga babala, sa mga warning,” Lilia added.
“I-save ninyo ang pamilya ninyo. Magplano na kayo, sa kanya-kanya ninyong pamilya. I-save ninyo ‘yung mga pamilya ninyo, mga anak ninyo,” the governor further said.
“Hindi ninyo puwede pong i-asa sa gobyerno lahat dahil sa kadami po natin lahat, kailangan may plano rin kayo sa pamilya ninyo para ligtas po ang mga pamilya ninyo,” Lilia added.
Reports state that the Pineda family has been a dominant force in Pampanga politics for about three decades, beginning with Lilia’s election as mayor of Lubao in 1992.
Since 2010, members of the family have held Pampanga’s two highest elective posts, with Lilia and Dennis alternating between the governor and vice governor positions.
