Former senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan has broken his silence over a viral video allegedly mocking him for eating with his hands and from a pot lid, calling it “spliced” and misleading.
The video, which circulated widely on social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook, suggested that Pangilinan ate only with salt and vinegar—a claim he refuted, saying it misrepresented a traditional Pampanga practice from his father’s hometown.
“Pumunta kami sa farm ni Romeo Catacutan and then we had breakfast. Now, they spliced itong mga videos, came up with a story, disinformation, fake. Sinasabi suka daw at asin which is definitely not true. And then, nag-viral na,” he explained in a GMA News Online report.
Pangilinan, who has been doing food vlogs since 2022 under his food security advocacy “Hello Pagkain,” also said the viral clip edited out key context and even altered his shirt color to mislead viewers. “Nagtataka lang kami na biglang dito, para bagang kahapon lang ako nag-food vlog at kahapon lang ako gumamit ng kamay para kumain,” he said.
Clarifying the viral scene, Pangilinan added, “Ang amin kasing nakaugalian ng tatay ko na itinuro ko rin sa mga anak ko, [puede] kumain ng kanin na may gatas ng kalabaw at may asin… Kaya sana, ‘yung mga nagsasabing hindi authentic, hello, pwede ba, nagpapakatotoo kami.”
He believes the attacks are part of an orchestrated trolling campaign, citing the suspicious volume of engagement from Vietnamese accounts. “Iyong comment section puro Vietnamese ‘yung pangalan yung mga nagla-like e… ‘Yung mga laugh emoji galing ng Vietnam. ‘Yun pa lang, dapat dinideactivate na ‘yun,” he pointed out.
The former senator urged the Commission on Elections to collaborate with tech companies to crack down on troll accounts and online disinformation. “We hope Comelec will take action… We hope the Comelec can convene the digital technology giants and come up with some sort of agreement or coordination on how to take down those clearly fictitious accounts,” he said.
Addressing the broader issue, he emphasized: “You have freedom of expression. You even have freedom of information. But you don’t have freedom of disinformation. Ibang usapan ‘yan.”
Pangilinan declined to comment on a controversial campaign ad by Senator Imee Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte, saying he prefers to focus on solutions rather than partisan attacks. “Ang gulo-gulo ng bansa. Let’s focus on solutions. Let’s focus on addressing hunger,” he said.
