The fabled Tallano gold bar exists, that is, in the form of a whitening soap.
A Reddit user posted a photo of a soap in a shape of a gold bar that bears the name “100% pure Tallano” on its surface.
The name references the myth about numerous bars of gold supposedly hidden somewhere in the Philippines.
The word “Sabonista” embedded at the bottom, on the other hand, is the name of the store where the user bought it.
The online user shared it on the online forum r/Philippines on Wednesday, January 27.
“Share ko lang. Mayaman na ko. #Tallano,” the online user wrote.
It has since received 492 up votes or likes on the platform.
The Reddit user also shared another photo that showed a “certificate of authenticity” that proves in jest the soap bar is in fact made of gold.
“Itong dokumentong ito ay nagpapatunay na ang TALLANO GOLD SOAP ay gawa sa tunay ginto,” the certificate reads.
“Paano ko nasabi? Siyempre ako ang gumawa di ba? Patunayan mong peke ito, sige nga,” it added.
Based on Sabonista’s Facebook page, its Tallano gold soap product is among the bestsellers.
The shop also offered other types of soaps in different sizes, colors and scents.
In one of its posts, it promoted this product with a humorous caption that reads: “Pag hindi mo ito shi-nare, mamalasin ka ng 6 years lalo na kapag ang ibinoto mo ay si –”
In another post on January 24, it advised its customers that its popular gold soap is currently out of stock.
“Wag na kayong maghukay. Meron na sa Shopee. Abang sa restock. Sold out,” the post read.
Sabonista’s customers can purchase this item via its Shopee store. The product is called “Tallano Gold Soap – 24K” on the e-commerce platform.
Each bar weighs 250 grams and costs P499.
The product description is also written in a humorous way.
“Panghugas ng kamay at pambura ng mga dark spots ng Philippine history,” part of it reads.
The soap earned praises on Reddit where online users were impressed by the marketing efforts made to promote the Tallano gold soap product.
“Yung Certificate of Authenticity talaga yung nagdala,” one Reddit user said.
“Panalo yung description sa Shopee: ‘PANGHUGAS NG KAMAY AT PAMBURA NG MGA DARK SPOTS NG PHILIPPINE HISTORY’,” another online user commented.
Others joined in poking fun at the gold bar soap product.
“Effective po ba ito pambura ng DARK SPOTS ng Philippine history?” a Reddit user said.
“Ang lakas mo naman brad para mabuhat yan ng isang kamay lang,” another online user commented in jest.
‘Tallano gold’ myth
The myth surrounding the gold bars of a pre-colonial family called the Tallano clan had been circulating around social media pages for years.
According to a report of Philstar.com, the myth of Tallano gold can also be found on the website of Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, a Martial Law-era political party that supports Marcos’ presidential bid.
“In an elaborate and unsubstantiated story on its website, KBL said the elder Marcos was made trustee — and later paid a commission — of the many metric tons of gold supposedly owned by the Tallano family. The gold supposedly would be used for Marcos’ plan to “establish the former grandeur of the Maharlika,” the report read.
Last week, the camp of presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr. whose family was linked to this non-existent “royal family” also denied seeing these gold bars.
“To be candid with you, I have always been candid with all of you. Hindi ko alam,” Lawyer Vic Rodriguez, Marcos’ spokesperson, said last week.
In a 2018 interview, Sen. Imee Marcos also denied seeing the gold.
She added that the “Yamashita gold” their family supposedly owns “continues to be an urban legend.”
“That gold, according to legend, is part of the wealth that troops under Imperial Japanese Army Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita hid somewhere in the Cordillera region in the closing days of the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. Treasure hunters were still looking for it as late as 2016,” Philstar.com’s report read.
READ: Pressed on mythical ‘Tallano Gold’, Marcos spokesperson says he knows nothing