Where is Robin Padilla really from? Senator explains

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Senator Robinhood Padilla on Sunday explained his family's roots and ties to different parts of the Philippines after netizens questioned where he actually hails from.

In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Padilla said his family had moved from one place to another over several generations, even tracing its roots to Spain.

“Ang Padilla talaga ay travelers from Spain. Napunta ’yan sa Pilipinas. Noong una, pumunta kami sa Maynila. Nagkagulo sa Pangasinan, napunta yung mga Padilla sa Nueva Ecija hanggang sa napunta sa Bulacan," Padilla said.

(The Padillas were originally travelers from Spain who came to the Philippines. They initially settled in Manila. Following unrest in Pangasinan, the Padillas moved to Nueva Ecija and eventually to Bulacan.)

"Yung tatay ko talaga Camarines Norte, ako po ay nag-aral sa Baguio. Ang nanay ko taga-Abra, ang lola ko taga-Abra, kaya talaga ako po ay kalat,” he added.

(My father was from Camarines Norte, while I studied in Baguio. My mother and grandmother were from Abra, so I have connections to many places.)

“Hanggang Mindanao, hanggang Visayas may Padilla (There are Padillas even in Mindanao and the Visayas),” he added.

Padilla, who is serving as a senator-judge in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, recently drew attention on social media after repeatedly citing different places he had lived while questioning prosecution witnesses.

His remarks prompted netizens to wonder where he actually originated.

Responding to the online reactions, Padilla said his extensive travels across the country had allowed him to establish connections with communities, including indigenous peoples in remote areas.

“Wala silang magagawa, talagang si Robin Padilla, talagang ako po ay matatawag na traveler. Ako po ay talagang kalat sa bayan natin, kahit sa kasulok-sulukang bundok," the senator said.

(There is nothing critics can do about it. I can truly be called a traveler. I have been all over the country, even in the remotest mountain communities.)

"Kapag may nakausap na mga katutubo, sasabihin na taga-dito si Robin Padilla,”

If you talk to Indigenous people, they would say Robin Padilla is from their area.)— MCG, GMA News

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