Celebrities urge voters to ‘wake up’ amid recent Metro Manila flooding

Thea Tolentino, Jerald Napoles and Vince Maristela collectively articulated their sentiments about the recent flooding in Metro Manila, which submerged several vehicles beyond repair and caused inconvenience among thousands of commuters and local residents.

On Facebook, Napoles took a swipe at the government's flood control programs, which have become a source of corruption.

“Sa Pilipinas ang ibig sabihin ng ‘Flood Control’ pala, yung buhay natin ang ko-controlin ng flood,” he wrote.

In the comments section, he continued his aria: “Tapos pag wala nang ulan. Palilipasin natin uli yung galit at hinanakit.”

Capping his sentiment, he said: “Tapos pag botohan... mananaig pa rin yung ‘basta gusto ko siya eh.’”

Tolentino’s aria was rather lengthy:

“Nakita ko lahat ng posts ngayong araw tungkol sa baha, mga bahay na lumubog, malalang traffic, at mga taong hindi makauwi.

“Hindi nga dapat normal ang ganito. NAKAKAGALIT. Ilang taon nang paulit-ulit na nangyayari. Kailan ba tayo uunlad?”

She advised netizens to really research who to vote for, as “lahat naman tayo nandito na sa social media. Araw-araw, nakasubsob tayo sa mga cellphone natin.”

Almost pleadingly, she wrote: “Sana gamitin din natin ang access na ’yan para mag-research, magtanong, at alamin kung sino talaga ang mga karapat-dapat nating iboto sa susunod.”

“Hindi yung puro pangako lang. Tingnan niyo kung nasaan tayo ngayon. Hindi ba kayo nagagalit?” she asked.

Insisting that she was not dictating who to vote for, Tolentino asked netizens to go beyond popular surnames or political parties.

“May respeto ako sa mga taong alam at naiintindihan ang plataporma at track record ng pulitikong sinusuportahan nila. Hindi naman kailangang pare-pareho tayo ng iboto.

“Pero sa mga taong ang dahilan ay, ‘Hindi ko alam… basta siya,’ ‘Ka-alyado niya kasi,’ o ‘Magaling kasi tatay niya…’ o kaya ‘kaya wag na lang bumoto kasi pare-pareho lang silang kurakot.’”

“UTANG NA LOOB. GUMISING NA KAYO,” she wrote.

Maristela’s post was not about grievances but a video showing motorists’ experiences while navigating flooded areas, as well as people walking along Marcos Highway.

“Mas mabilis maglakad kaysa sumakay sa kotse,” he wrote.