Claudine Barretto expresses support for ‘utol’ Robin Padilla, his wife Mariel
Claudine Barretto voiced her support for couple Robin Padilla and Mariel Padilla, agreeing with the TV host’s remark that her husband is “more than qualified” to be a senator.
Through her Facebook page, Barretto shared a resurfaced statement of Mariel from 2022, in which the latter underscored Robin’s criminology degree and experience in lawmaking — supposedly through the passage of Republic Act No. 8294 — as what made him qualified for the public post.
“True,” Barretto said, tagging Mariel and adding thumbs up and heart emoji.
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Barretto also backed Mariel when the TV host later clarified her 2022 remark, saying she did not mean that Robin literally authored the law.
“When Robin was in Bilibid, his case became closely associated with the issue that RA 8294 addressed—illegal possession of firearms. RA 8294 was enacted in 1997 while he was incarcerated,” Mariel said. “Now, if gamitin natin ang talino na binigay sa atin ng Maykapal… sino kaya ang nag-draft at nagpasa ng bill na naging RA 8294? Obviously, legislators.”
“That was exactly the point. Robin was NOT a senator then, and I never meant that he literally sat in Congress, authored the bill, and voted for its passage,” she continued. “His experience was being cited to show that even before becoming a senator, he had firsthand experience of how laws—and changes in laws—can directly affect a person’s life.”
Barretto shared Mariel’s statement and wrote, “Love [you and] Utol.”
Mariel, in turn, said, “Thanks ate.”
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Robin was convicted of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition in 1995 and was released from prison in 1998 after receiving a conditional pardon from then-President Fidel V. Ramos. In 2016, Robin was granted absolute pardon by former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The actor-turned-senator was elected to office after topping the senatorial elections in 2022 with 26,612,434 votes. /ra