A quote card circulating online claims that Sen. Robinhood Padilla said he wants to abolish English as a core subject in the Philippine basic education curriculum. This is untrue.
On May 19, a Facebook page posted a news graphic featuring a photo of Padilla with the Philippine flag in the background. It carried the following statement attributed to the actor-turned-politician, though his name was mispelled:
“News update. GUSTO KONG IPANUKALA NA NA (sic) TANGGALIN NA ANG SUBJECT NA ENGLISH SA LAHAT NG ESKWELAHAN SANA PO AY SUPORTAHAN NYO – Roibin (sic) Padilla
(I WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE THAT THE ENGLISH SUBJECT BE REMOVED FROM ALL SCHOOLS. I HOPE YOU WILL SUPPORT IT).”
Several netizens expressed their dismay and criticized the senator for the supposed proposal.
The quote card is fake. While Padilla has publicly acknowledged his struggles with the English language during Senate plenary debates, he has not made any such remark nor filed any proposal to remove the subject.
Padilla filed Senate Bill 1297 in August 2025, which seeks to abolish the Senior High School component of the basic education curriculum. The bill cited the financial burden, increased drop-out rates, and concerns about the “effectiveness” of the current curriculum as concerns. The measure contains no provision about English as a subject.
The senator has been vocal about his criticisms of the dominance of English in government and official discourse. He previously filed a bill that pushed for Filipino translations of government issuances and documents. Padilla has also said Senate debates should be conducted in Filipino instead of English.
The fake statement circulated eight days after a Senate coup, which triggered a massive reshuffling of committee chairmanships. Some netizens speculated that Padilla would take over the Committee on Basic Education, previously chaired by Sen. Bam Aquino. The post was eventually assigned to Sen. Loren Legarda. Padilla was made vice chair of the committee.
VERA Files has debunked other disinformation related to Padilla, who has been a vocal ally of the Dutertes amid the ongoing impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte in the Senate and the crimes against humanity charges of former president Rodrigo Duterte in the International Criminal Court. However, Padilla himself also has a history of being a source of disinformation.
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