Vico Sotto–Atasha Muhlach pregnancy hoax resurfaces

A false rumor that reelected Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto got actress Atasha Muhlach pregnant–first circulated in 2024–has gone viral again on social media shortly after the May 12 midterm elections. 

Facebook page NL Star Buzz posted on May 14 a photo collage featuring the Muhlach family and Sotto captioned:

AGA MUHLACH, HE HAS ACCEPTED ATASHA MUHLACH'S PREGNANCY WITH VICO SOTTO!

Sotto has not issued a public statement regarding the revived rumor. Muhlach addressed the rumor in an interview with Ogie Diaz in August 2024, saying at the time she and the mayor had never even met in person:

Yun nga po Tito, nagtataka din po ako. Hindi ko alam yun. Unang-una, di pa po kami nagkikita ni Vico Sotto. Ang nakikita ko pa lang po ay sina Oyo Sotto, Danica Sotto, Kristine Hermosa. Sila lang po ang nakikita ko. Si Vico Sotto di ko pa po nakikita (I’m also wondering about that. I don’t know anything about it. First of all, Vico Sotto and I haven’t even met. The only Sotto family members I’ve seen are Oyo Sotto … they’re the only ones I’ve met. I haven’t met Vico Sotto yet).

A Google reverse image search shows that the image depicting a pregnant Muhlach is a composite of two unrelated photos from 2024: The Muhlach family portrait which appeared in a July 30 article by Inquirer.net, while Sotto’s portrait was taken from a July 31 SPOT.ph report on Pasig City Hall renovations.  In the original photo, Muhlach was dressed in all white and had no baby bump.

The original photos were unrelated and lifted from Inquirer.net (left) and SPOT.ph.

The doctored image was posted also early this year by Facebook pages TVJ & Dabarkads and Filipina Sensation.  

As of writing, the post has garnered over 9,000 reactions, 1,300 comments and 55 shares. The photo has also been reposted by Facebook pages presenting themselves as news outlets such as General News (82 reactions, 18 comments and one share) and Philstars Daily (103 reactions and 18 comments). (MA)