Ramil Albano, who went viral for getting a tattoo on his forehead, was indeed part of a scripted stunt. Taragis owner Carl Quion apologized.
It seems that the opinion of the self-proclaimed “National Marites” Xian Gaza was correct, as the viral man who got the forehead tattoo on April Fool’s Day was indeed part of a scripted act.
Carl Quion, the owner of the takoyaki store, confessed that the gimmick for the P100,000 challenge on April 1 was planned for social media.
Through a video posted on Facebook, Carl detailed how he planned to make Taragis go viral.
He explained that he had been preparing for the challenge since April last year and started executing it in August of the previous year, seeking a tattoo artist friend who was willing to tattoo someone’s forehead.
He also said that he would genuinely give P100,000 to anyone who agreed to his request.
Soon enough, someone volunteered, and that’s when he met 47-year-old Ramil Albano from Barangay Bagong Silang in Caloocan.
“He used to sell fish balls and now he just takes care of his child with Down syndrome,” he introduced in the post.
Carl also showed screenshots of his conversation with Tatay Ramil, who bravely accepted the challenge.
“Ako, willing ako magpa-tattoo…para sa anak kong may down syndrome,” Tatay Ramil said in the conversation.
Carl made sure that Tatay Ramil wouldn’t regret his decision, but the viral man’s response was, “It’s okay as long as it’s for my child.”
Tatay Ramil started getting the tattoo on March 28 and didn’t leave his house until April 1, the day of the prank.
They uploaded the sensational gimmick on social media, but no one paid attention.
They followed it up with another post showing their supposed official statement about Tatay Ramil’s challenge, and that’s when their plan started to go viral.
“Tulad ng inaasahan, kumalat na ang poster sa buong Pilipinas at sobrang dami na ang nag-react at nagalit na malalaking influencers,” Carl said on Facebook.
He added, “People felt various emotions, some felt pity, while many others got annoyed and angry. So when tension rose, the next day, April 2, we released the planned video… We really gave Tatay the promised P100,000 from the beginning.”
Carl admitted that he lied and apologized to everyone.
He also mentioned that he learned a lot from the marketing stunt.
“Una, nakatulong tayo kay Tatay Ramil. Pangalawa, nakita natin na posible pala na magbayanihan ang mga malalaking brand sa social media para lang sa isang tao. Pangatlo, nakagawa tayo ng isang malaking ingay na magbibigay boses para sa kagaya ni Tatay Ramil na nasa ilalim ng lipunan,” the Taragis owner said.
Carl also denied rumors about the donations Tatay Ramil received.
There were reports that he received over P1.3 million, but allegedly, it was over P200,000, in addition to the P100,000 Carl gave.
“Nasaktan ako para kay Tatay Ramil. Hindi scammer si Tatay Ramil,” Carl said.
He clarified, “Gusto ko lang linawin na wala akong hati o binawas sa mga donasyon na natanggap ni Tatay Ramil. Ang lahat ng napunta kay tatay ay para sa kanya lang.”
“Ang lahat din na natanggap niya ay puro para sa personal na tulong lamang din para sa kanya at para sa anak niya na may down syndrome,” he added.
