ICYMI: The April Fools' Prank Where a Man Got a Forehead Tattoo to Win P100,000

(SPOT.ph) If for some reason you’ve been offline for the entire day on April 2, you might have missed out on the Internet’s collective outrage over an April Fools' Day prank gone wrong.

Ramil Albano has turned into somewhat of an overnight sensation as the man who acted on Pampanga-based takoyaki franchise Taragis’ prank on Facebook by tattooing the brand’s logo on his forehead to win a P100,000 cash prize. It worked out for him in the end, but not without the Internet stepping in to help.

Here's everything that happened in the April Fools' saga.

Taragis makes April Fools' post 

On April 1, Taragis challenged its followers on Facebook to get a tattoo. In the post read: “Click the photo for official rules.” Once clicked, the full version of the photo revealed an “April Fool’s” at the end.

But Albano did not get the memo. Within an hour of the post, he commented: “Sir nag PM po ako sa inyo ginagawa na po w8 po ako ng chat ninyo” with an accompanying picture of himself getting tattooed on the forehead. Taragis replied to his comment with an emoji of a shaking head.

Later that day, Taragis issued a statement in a now-deleted post on Facebook.

“Let this serve as a reminder to us all how important reading comprehension is. It’s April Fool’s Day. Never trust anything or anyone. The same as any other day. Once more, Taragis Takoyaki is not accountable for the events that occurred. Thank you!”

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Users call for accountability

Albano’s situation started to gain traction on April 2 across several social media platforms. Online users pointed out that it is not surprising for Filipinos to take on extreme measures to earn money given the harsh realities of unemployment, underemployment, and the rising cost of living. They also called for accountability on Taragis’ end after they had deleted the original post with the April Fool’s Day prank.

While all of this was happening, several brands have stepped up to help Albano. ChizMozza was the first to offer him a P10,000 reward for his “dedication to win” Taragis’ challenge.

Shortly after, local brands followed suit. Project Glow Up promised him the same amount that Taragis did at P100,000, while several others offered him a cash prize in the P5,000 to P10,000 range.

“We posted this at 2 am and never expected it to go viral. We are just glad that our random act of kindness started something, and many businesses and people followed suit. I hope this will somehow bring about a change in Kuya Ramil’s life,” ChizMozza said in the comment section of its post.

Taragis fulfills promise to Ramil Albano

Following online backlash, Taragis owner Carl Quion went to visit Albano to give him P100,000 in cash in a five-minute video he posted on Facebook.

In the video, Albano explained that he missed the April Fool’s disclaimer on Taragis’ post when it came out. He rushed to get the tattoo as he needed the prize money to support his 16-year-old child with Down syndrome and to cover his youngest child’s tuition in school.

However, some online users claimed that the entire situation was a mere publicity stunt as Albano’s tattooed forehead did not seem to appear real—or at least fresh from being inked.

Regardless of its authenticity, Quion gave us the closure we needed—an acknowledgement that what they did was not just misleading, but irresponsible marketing.

“Sa mga nagkaroon ng negatibong pananaw sa naging April Fool’s post namin, humihingi ako ng tawad,” Quion said. “At sana magsilbing aral ito sa ating lahat, lalo na sa mga kapwa influencers ko o brand na nasa internet na maging responsable tayo sa lahat ng ina-upload natin.”

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