The rift between Angel Locsin and Sen. Robin Padilla appears to be widening, with another member of the Padilla family now weighing in.

Actor Rommel Padilla publicly threw his support behind his younger brother after Angel criticized the senator over his recent political statements and his past silence during the actress' red-tagging controversy.

On July 16, Rommel reposted on Facebook a netizen's viral message defending Robin while taking a swipe at the "Darna" star.

The post read:

“Nag-ingay si Angel Locsin sa issue ni Robin pero tahimik siya sa baha, nakawan at flood control. Angel yung pinagtanggol ni Robin, inelect ng 32M vs pansarili mong issue. Akala ko matalino, pang-Darna ka lang pala talaga. Ding, ang bato.”

Rommel added only one remark of his own:

“#Realtalk”

The exchange quickly ignited another round of debate online. While some users agreed with the post Rommel shared, others came to Angel's defense, posting what they described as "receipts" showing the actress has consistently spoken out over the years on issues such as flooding, corruption, disaster response and other social concerns, disputing claims that she had remained silent on those matters.

His post further fueled an already heated discussion surrounding Angel's strongly worded message to Robin, which has continued to generate massive engagement on social media.

Angel earlier called out the senator after he declared, “Komunista po ako,” during the fifth day of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial.

In a Facebook post that quickly went viral, the actress recalled working with Robin on the 2007 GMA-7 primetime series "Asian Treasures," saying the senator often shared stories about going to the mountains and carrying firearms in what he described as fighting for the country.

“At least, honest ka ngayon, Kuya,” Angel wrote.

She then confronted Robin over his silence when she became the subject of red-tagging allegations years ago.

“Ang tanong ko lang, nasaan ka nung panahong nirered-tag ako kahit alam mong hindi totoo? Actually, kasama mo pa nga at kachikahan yung mga nangre-red-tag. Naghugas-kamay at pumikit sa katotohanan,” saad niya.

Angel was among the personalities linked by then National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict spokesperson Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. in 2020 to the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People's Army and National Democratic Front. The actress strongly denied the accusations and even broke down in tears during an interview while insisting she had no ties to the NPA.

The actress also questioned Robin's positions on several national issues, including his support for Apollo Quiboloy and his remarks concerning China.

“Isa sa mga pinakamalaking dahilan kung bakit ka binoto ng maraming Pilipino ay dahil inasahan nilang magiging matapang kang boses para sa mga kapatid nating Muslim.

“Pero bakit parang mas ipinaglalaban mo pa si Quiboloy? Naniniwala ka ba talaga na siya ang ‘appointed son of God’?” ani Angel.

She added:

“Hindi ito ang Robin Padilla na nakilala at hinangaan ko.”

Angel ended her message with a direct appeal to her former leading man.

“Tama na, Kuya. Gising na. Hindi pa huli ang lahat.”

Robin has yet to issue a direct response.

Meanwhile, Robin's wife, television host Mariel Padilla, appeared to make her own quiet statement by unfollowing the "Darna" star on social media, a move that did not escape the attention of eagle-eyed netizens.