Owner of Takoyaki store gives cash prize after facing backlash on controversial April Fools prank
The owner of local food brand Taragis has awarded the P100,000 promised in his April Fools prank after receiving backlash on social media.
In the video posted on their Facebook page on Tuesday, April 2, owner and influencer Carl Quion and his team personally went to Ramil Albano’s residence to know more about him and his reason why he did not think twice about accepting the prank, which he thought was a real challenge.
“’Di ko nga na[basa] e, tinignan ko lang ‘yung nasa may gitna,” Albano said, adding that he immediately decided to tattoo the brand’s logo on his forehead upon seeing the post.
In case you missed it, the food brand posted on April 1 that they will give P100,000 to the first person who will get a forehead tattoo of their logo. They asked their followers to click the photo for the full mechanics, only to see an “April Fools” graphic below it.
Later in the day, they talked about receiving various messages claiming that someone—who was later identified as a Facebook user named Ramil Albano—took it to heart and executed it.
When asked what his reasons were for doing the "challenge" and his plans for the cash prize, Albano said that he needed to use it for his children’s education and medical expenses.
“Para sa bunso kong anak tsaka sa pang-tuition ng anak ko. Service nung anak kong bunso, [may] down syndrome,” he said.
“Sa una mahirap, e siyempre kailangan e para sa anak ko,” he added.
Quion then handed the cash prize and offered assistance for a laser tattoo removal of the brand’s logo on his forehead.
“Sabihin mo lang ‘tol kung ano desisyon mo, pwede tayong humanap ng derma na mag-laser niyan para matanggal,” he said.
The team also treated Albano’s 16-year-old son, who recently celebrated his birthday last month, to a fast-food chain.
In the latter part of the video, Quion apologized to the public for what had happened, saying that he did not intend to cause harm to anyone.
“Wala akong intensyon na maging perwisyo sa kapwa tao ko, nakilala ang Taragis sa pagpapasaya ng tao at mamigay ng papremyo araw-araw sa mga challenge namin. Kaya sa mga nagkaroon ng negatibong pananaw, sa naging April Fools post namin, humihingi ako ng tawad,” he said.
He also reminded other brands and influencers like him to be responsible for using the platform on social media.
“Sana magsilbing aral ‘to sa lahat lalong lalo na sa kapwa influencers ko or brand na nasa internet na maging responsable tayo sa mga ina-upload natin. Hindi natin alam na may taong gagawin ang lahat para sa pera, kaya iwasan natin gumawa ng mga bagay na pwedeng maka-apekto sa kabuhayan nila,” he concluded.
Initially, the food brand said in a statement after the prank that they were not accountable for what happened to Albano, adding that it was a reminder for everyone to develop and practice reading comprehension.
“It’s April Fools’ Day. Never trust anything or anyone. The same as any other day,” they wrote in a now-deleted post.
“Taragis Takoyaki is not accountable for the events that occurred,” they stressed.
The incident made the rounds online and sparked a discussion among social media users, with most saying that they are accountable for their “careless” and "insensitive” prank.
On a lighter note, many food brands and skin clinics also offered to give a cash prize to Albano.