SENATOR Robin Padilla on Thursday posted a video of himself carrying a cardboard standee of former President Rodrigo Duterte while walking in The Hague, Netherlands.
In a Facebook message, Robin expressed deep gratitude to Duterte, who granted him absolute pardon in 2016 after his conviction for illegal possession of firearms. The senator referred to this act as a turning point.
“Ang taong bitbit ko ay pangalawa sa Allah sa aking pinasasalamatan. Si Tatay Digong, ang nagbigay sa akin ng absolute pardon,” he wrote.
He also said Duterte’s trust allowed him to enter public service: “Ang taong ito ang nagbigay sa akin ng utos na mag-senador at ginawa niya akong senador sa pahintulot ng taongbayan.”
Robin emphasized that the post was not meant to idolize the former president but to show gratitude. “Hindi pagsamba… kundi pasasalamat sa pagbuhat sa aking pagkatao nong ako ay nasa ilalim ng gulong ng buhay.”
“Wag tayong makalimot sa ating katangian na may pagpapasalamat, paggalang, at pagtanaw ng utang na loob,” he added.
In a separate post, Robin shared photos of himself having breakfast with the same cardboard standee.
“Good vibes lang. Breakfast meeting kasama ang chairman ng Partido Demokratiko ng Pilipinas,” he wrote in the caption.