When there's smoke, there's usually a whole lot of fire. Or so the saying goes. But there are times when it's really just all smoke. Such is the case with urban legends. SPOT.ph lists 10 tall tales that clouded our judgment.
Alice Dixson (shown here in the ad that launched her career) brought out the man-snake's wild side.
1. Robinson–half-man, half-snake–terrorizes pretty mallrats.
Story time: The Gokongwei family allegedly built Robinsons Galleria to serve as the romping ground of their mutant offspring Robinson, who was supposedly the twin brother of Robina Gokongwei-Pe. Robinson's popularity peaked in the 1990s, when everyone believed that he indeed existed and frequented the ladies' fitting rooms of the department store. Others claimed he also liked to munch on little children, whom he would somehow grab while they were in the comfort room.
WTF details: People justified Robinson's existence by pointing out that the "R" in the mall's logo looked like a snake. Then, it was rumored that actress Alice Dixson was violated by Robinson. In other accounts, he was said to have fallen in love with her and decided not to harm her. He was also alleged to have abducted a saleslady–only to set her free when he realized that she was not really pretty enough for him.
Fact check: Chalk it up to mall wars and the hysteria of overwrought urbanites. The crazy thing about the whole Robinson debacle is that even so-called educated people believed it was true. In any case, when SPOT.ph asked the alleged snake twin in question, Robina Gokongwei-Pe, about her so-called reptile sibling she laughed it off and said, "Ahas? Naging handbag at sapatos na sa Robinsons!" It's worth noting that Cagayan de Oro's Gaisano Superstore was also subject to a similar snake rumor back in the 1980s.
The windmills are authentic–but some people think Bongbong Marcos isn't.
2. Bongbong Marcos isn't himself.
Story time: There's a story going around that the Bongbong we see now isn't genuine. The real Bongbong was said to have died in an accident in Manila or after being abducted by armed men somewhere in Mindanao. Another account says he died in London when he was a teenager. Anyway, after his supposed death, the family was said to have tapped a Marcos cousin who closely resembled him to undergo plastic surgery and take his place.
WTF details: Sometime after the story broke out between the late 1970s to the early 1980s, people pointed out that Bongbong's mom, Imelda, was not so affectionate with him anymore. Others marveled at the fact that Bongbong got "cuter."
Fact check: The family's political rivals and legion of haters probably cooked up the story. But if it's true–then that's one lucky cousin.
