Facebook and blog posts shared thousands of times claim actor-turned-politician Robin Padilla, who leads the senate count in the May 2022 elections, has pledged to hand out financial aid to all citizens. However, the claim was shared on an imposter social media page. Padilla said he was not doling out cash and AFP did not find any record of handout announcements on his official channels, as of May 17.
“P10K Financial Aid From Robin Padilla,” reads a Tagalog-language Facebook post from May 13 shared more than 16,000 times.
The post was shared on a page called “SEN. IDOL ROBIN Padilla”, which has 70,000 followers, after an initial count showed the action star leading the senate vote.
The May 9 polls saw the son of a former dictator, Ferdinand Marcos Jr secure a landslide presidential win in an astonishing reversal in the fortunes of the Marcos family, who have gone from the presidential palace to pariahs and back again in the space of a few decades.
The post features a graphic bearing an image of Padilla alongside a similar claim.
The post also shares links to a blog where people are invited to register for aid.
Read the full story on AFP Fact Check.