Actress and TV host Mariel Rodriguez Padilla came to the defense of her husband, Sen. Robin Padilla, after a viral clip allegedly showed the lawmaker making an obscene hand gesture during the singing of the Lupang Hinirang in the Senate.
In a Facebook post on Friday, September 12, Mariel described her husband as “one of the most patriotic people I know,” saying it was unfair to accuse him of disrespecting the Philippine flag.
“To claim he disrespects the flag is unfair. He is one of the most patriotic people I know—he even travels with the Philippine flag in his luggage and hangs it in every hotel room we stay in,” she wrote.
She emphasized that Robin’s actions were a form of religious expression, not mockery.
“My husband is a devout Muslim and a proud Filipino. During the national anthem, he recites the Kalima—the Muslim declaration of faith, affirming his devotion to Allah. This is not an act of disrespect but a personal expression of faith, while at the same time standing in honor of our country,” she said.
Mariel also cited Republic Act No. 8491, the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, clarifying that her husband did not break any law.
“For clarity: under Republic Act No. 8491, the law simply states: At the first note, all persons shall execute a salute by placing their right palms over their left chests… Nowhere in the law does it require the palm to be flat. That is only a practice taught in schools and ceremonies, not part of the legal text. No law was broken,” she explained.
The viral photo, which circulated online earlier this week, appeared to show the senator flashing his middle finger. Robin himself addressed the controversy in a Facebook Live broadcast on Thursday, showing the original photo where his raised index finger—used in Islam as a gesture symbolizing faith in Allah—was misinterpreted.
“This is sacred to us Muslims,” he stressed. “It means there is no God but Allah. When I place it on my chest during the national anthem, it means Allah first, but it also shows my love for the Philippines.”
Robin appealed to the public not to turn his gesture of faith into ridicule: “Huwag naman natin gawing kalokohan ito dahil ito po ang pundasyon ng aming pananampalataya.”
