Comedian James Caraan has gone viral for his cheeky remark about the Sierra Madre mountain range, which has once again been hailed online as the “shield of Luzon” for lessening the impact of Super Typhoon Uwan.
In a Facebook post on November 11, Caraan warned netizens not to draw too much attention to the mountain range, quipping: “Wag nyo masyado pamalita ‘yung Sierra Madre, baka tayuan na naman ni Slater [Young] ng condo.”
His post quickly drew laughter—and side comments—from netizens, many of whom poked fun at Slater Young and his controversial hillside project in Cebu, Monterrazas de Cebu, which has been blamed by some residents for worsening floods during Typhoon Tino’s onslaught earlier this month.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has since launched a multi-stakeholder investigation into the Monterrazas project. The agency said it will impose sanctions if proven that environmental regulations or conditions in the project’s Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) were violated.
Meanwhile, actress Bela Padilla also made indirect mention of Slater Young while calling out a separate issue—Pangasinan 2nd District Representative Mark Cojuangco’s remark blaming flood victims for living in “hazardous areas.”
In response to Cojuangco’s comment on X (formerly Twitter), where he wrote, “Bakit kasi sa flood plain gumawa ng tirahan? Takaw sakuna ♀️”, Padilla reminded the lawmaker that compassion should come before criticism.
“Respectfully, you don’t start giving swimming lessons to a drowning man, sir. You save him first,” Bela said.
“Why didn’t the [local government units] stop them from building there in the first place? Common folk don’t know where they can or can’t build,” she added, before concluding her post with a pointed line: “I mean—look at Slater Young.”
Padilla’s statement reignited online discussions about government accountability, urban planning, and private developments in hazard-prone areas—particularly those like Monterrazas de Cebu.
Typhoon Tino recently devastated parts of the Visayas and Mindanao, leaving hundreds dead and thousands displaced. Just days later, Super Typhoon Uwan struck Luzon, prompting renewed conversations about environmental protection and responsible land use.
