Senator Robin Padilla has placed his security team on red alert after an alarming online campaign titled ‘Sunugin si Robin Padilla’ (Burn Robin Padilla) gained viral attention on Facebook.
The event, which circulated from June 10 to 21, drew over 37,000 “interested” responses and nearly 1,000 marked “going”, causing significant concern within the senator’s household.
In a Facebook post dated July 3, Padilla shared how the post deeply unsettled his family, prompting security protocols to be heightened.
“Ang aking buong pamilya nagkaroon ng matinding pagkabahala ng mayroong naglabas sa social media ng isang kampanya para sunugin si Robin Padilla. Nagkaroon ng paghihigpit sa aming mga pupuntahan at hanggang ngayon ay naka red alert pa rin ang aking security dahil ang mga ganitong kampanya, ayon sa kanila, ay baka sakyan ng mga terorista,” he explained.
The satirical event was reportedly created in response to Padilla’s controversial declaration of loyalty to former President Rodrigo Duterte, in which he said: “Kahit sunugin mo ‘ko dito, mangangamoy Rodrigo Roa Duterte ako.” Critics twisted his statement into a mock online campaign, which quickly gained traction.
Concerned about the possible implications, Padilla’s family reached out to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to raise the alarm and initially planned to file a cyber libel case against those responsible.
“Isinangguni ng pamilya ito sa NBI para makapagbigay ng statement upang maipaalam sa kanila ang threat na siniseryoso ng aming security. Kaya’t kagyat na nakipag-ugnayan ang NBI at napagkasunduan na mag-file ng kaso ang aming pamilya sa mga nagpakalat at nagkampanya nito,” he said.
However, after further discussion, Padilla said the family decided to withdraw the complaint, believing it would be inappropriate for a public servant to appear overly sensitive to criticism or satire.
“Pero napagkasunduan ng pamilya na bitiwan ang pagreklamo ng cyberlibel dahil hindi mainam sa isang pulitiko ang maging balat sibuyas,” he admitted.
While no official threat has been confirmed by authorities so far, Padilla’s camp remains on high alert and continues to monitor the situation.
