Actor Kiko Matos pointed out that former senator Kiko Pangilinan did not eat a banana leaf, contrary to what some social media users believed.
The former “Batang Quiapo” cast member responded on Saturday, April 19, to online claims that the ex-lawmaker ate a banana leaf during a visit to a farm of content creator Romeo Catacutan in San Arayat, Pampanga, on April 9.
The province is the hometown of Pangilinan’s father.
Binisita namin ng aking anak na si Miguel ang farm ni Romeo “Idol” Catacutan sa San Luis, Arayat, Pampanga! 💚
Nag-enjoy kami sa mga aktibidad tulad ng paghuli ng sariwang tilapia, pamimili ng papaya, at pagkuha ng mga itlog—kasama na ang ostrich egg! Siyempre, tinikman din… pic.twitter.com/F7Bgawb65U
— Kiko Pangilinan (@kikopangilinan) April 9, 2025
Pangilinan is seeking return to the Senate in the 2025 midterm elections. He advocates for food security and support for farmers, food producers, among others.
During his visit to Catacutan’s farm, the former senator was spotted eating food wrapped in a leaf with his hands.
Some viewers thought Pangilinan was eating a banana leaf in the video.
“A clueless Kiko Pangilinan ate inedible banana leaves. Even monkeys know not eat it,” a Facebook user wrote while sharing a video.
The viral claims eventually reached Matos, who responded by posting a reaction video to address the allegations.
In his video, Matos showed a mustard leaf (locally known as mustasa) and buro (fermented rice and fish), demonstrating how the food was eaten. He placed the buro inside the leaf.
“Alam niyo, sa mga Kapampangan, ang pagkain ng hilaw na mustasa sa buro ay isang delicacy. Parang sa Samgyupsal,” Matos said, referring to grilled pork belly in Korean cuisine.
“Na kahit hilaw ang mustasa, hindi mo ito kailangan lagain para kainin dahil masarap na siyang ganito,” he added, gesturing to the food in his food which he later ate.
“Ngayon, hindi ko ‘to ginagawa ‘tong video na ‘to para depensahan si former senator Kiko Pangilinan. Gusto ko lang magbigay kaalaman sa mga… ignorante diyan. Ang problema kasi, ignorante na nga kayo, proud pa kayo,” the actor said.
He added that the Philippines cannot prosper because there are Filipinos “who believe in fake news.”
@badassmatos Kiko kumain ng dahon ng saging #kikomatos ♬ original sound – Kiko Matos
Catacutan, the content creator Pangilinan visited, also set the record straight on his Facebook page.
“[Pasensya] na po,” he wrote on Monday, April 14.
“Papaliwanag [ko lang] po mga idol, ‘yun po naka-bote, gatas ng kalabaw ‘yun at ‘yun naman po dahon, mustasa po ‘yun, [hindi] dahon ng saging, [pasensya] na po, mga idol,” the vlogger added.
Pangilinan explains
Pangilinan also addressed another viral claim suggesting he ate rice with vinegar and salt from a pot lid.
He clarified that what he actually ate was rice with carabao’s milk, served on a mustasa leaf.
Using the pot lid was also a practical choice at the time, as someone had offered it to Pangilinan as an alternative to a plate..
“Ang amin kasing nakaugalian ng tatay ko na itinuro ko rin sa mga anak ko, [pwede] kumain ng kanin na may gatas ng kalabaw at may asin. Ang ginawa ni Romeo [sa vlog], binigay sa atin ‘yung takip ng kaldero dahil ‘yung gatas ng kalabaw, e, ‘pag nilagay mo dun sa dahon ng saging [na may kanin], e kakalat,” he said in a Facebook Live on Saturday, April 12.
“[Kaya] kumain tayo ng gatas ng kalabaw na may asin at kanin. Kaya sana, ‘yung mga nagsasabing hindi authentic, hello? Pwede ba, nagpapakatotoo kami,” Pangilinan added.
The former senator also shared that he has been creating food-related vlogs since 2022 as part of his “Hello, Pagkain” advocacy, which promotes food security.
Pangilinan also raised concerns about what he suspects to be an “orchestrated attack” against his camp, noting that the comments on posts featuring spliced videos of him often came from accounts with Vietnamese-sounding names.
“We hope Comelec will take action. The facts speak for themselves. We have leads, given the account names and where they upload the posts,” the former senator said.
“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 added.
Electoral candidates have until May 10 to campaign for the 2025 midterm elections, which will be held on May 12. During the polls, Filipinos will vote for a new set of leaders midway through President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s term.
