Robinhood Ferdinand "Robin" Cariño Padilla ([kaˈɾiɲo paˈdilja]; born November 23, 1969), also Abdul Aziz, is a Filipino actor and politician serving as senator of the Philippines since 2022. Known for his action films, he portrayed gangster roles in Anak ni Baby Ama (1990), Bad Boy (1990), and Bad Boy II (1992), among others. Born to a political family, Padilla began his acting career as a teenager. He admitted that he was a communist rebel against the Philippine government, and has been supportive of Communist Party of the Philippines founder, Jose Maria Sison.
Padilla is a self-affirmed loyalist of former president Rodrigo Duterte and an admirer of former president Ferdinand Marcos, both of which have well-documented histories of corruption, censorship, and human rights violations. Padilla adheres to the policies espoused by Duterte under Dutertismo, including pro-China positions where he defended Chinese president Xi Jinping, leading to him being tagged as a Tsinador (Chinese senator). He is also a proponent of the legalization of medical marijuana, with help from Israel officials, and a primary defender of child sex trafficker and Duterte ally Apollo Quiboloy.
He was appointed by the Duterte-aligned party, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino, as their president in 2024 until he took a leave in 2025. He is against the impeachment trial of vice president Sara Duterte.
Padilla is known for his past illegal activities, including his imprisonment in 1995 for illegal ownership of firearms and ammunitions related to a reckless driving resulting to injury case. Padilla became a fugitive for a time, but was re-arrested. He converted to Islam while in prison, and was pardoned by both presidents Fidel V. Ramos in 1998, and Duterte in 2016, both of which he campaigned for in their presidential bids. Padilla was elected to the Senate in the 2022 elections under Duterte's patronage.
He is currently facing an obstruction of justice case for assisting fugitive Ronald dela Rosa in his 2026 escape from an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for crimes against humanity.
Robinhood Ferdinand Cariño Padilla was born on November 23, 1969, in Daet, Camarines Norte. His father was trade union organizer Casimero "Roy" Padilla Sr. (1926–1988), who was appointed by President Corazon Aquino as governor of Camarines Norte from 1986 until he was assassinated in 1988 during a period where Marcos forces continued to plot a number of coup d'état against the Aquino government and her allies. His mother was Lolita Eva Cariño of Nueva Ecija. He has at least 48 siblings, among whom are half-brothers Roy Jr. (who replaced their father after the assassination), Roberto, Ronaldo, Roger, Ricarte and Rodolfo, half-sisters Rebecca and Carmela, brothers Randy, Randolf, Royette, Romulus, and Rommel, and sisters Rowena, Roda, and Richelda; one of his siblings, BB Gandanghari, is transgender.
His family initially alleged that the Cariño side of the family was Ibaloi. However, geneologists, historians, and indigenous Ibaloi leaders later verified the claim to be false. The Ibaloi community, notably the Cariño Ibalois, denied the claim. To not be disrespectful, some Cariño members of the Ibaloi instead referred to Padilla as an 'honorary cousin' out of hospitality.
Padilla took his elementary education at Siena College of Quezon City and attended high school at Saint Louis University Boys' High School. During high school, Padilla was into breakdancing with friends. He discontinued his studies when he was 17 to pursue his acting career.
He claimed he finished his coursework in criminology at Philippine College of Criminology (PCCR) in 2001. He never passed the Criminologists Licensure Examination (CLE). In 2022, a few weeks after being elected as senator, for undisclosed reasons, the PCCR gave Padilla a bachelor's diploma in criminology two decades after he allegedly finished his coursework, leading to suspicions about the matter.
In 2026, he publicly stated on record at an impeachment court that he instead learned criminology at a so-called 'University of Prison', alluding to the time where he was jailed for illegal activities in the 1990's.
Padilla played his first major role in the 1985 comedy film Public Enemy No. 2: Maraming Number Two starring Eddie Garcia and Nida Blanca. In 1991, Padilla played the lead roles in the films Maging Sino Ka Man and Ang Utol Kong Hoodlum, where a filming accident injured his midsection and upper limbs.
Padilla wrote and starred in the 1996 film Anak, Pagsubok Lamang ng Diyos which was shot almost entirely inside the New Bilibid Prison, where Padilla was imprisoned at the time. After his release, Padilla starred in the 1998 film Tulak ng Bibig, Kabig ng Dibdib where he was again injured.
In 1999, Padilla crossed over to television programs through the ABS-CBN comedy show Pwedeng Pwede. In 2000, Padilla starred alongside singer Regine Velasquez in the romantic comedy Kailangan Ko'y Ikaw. In 2002, he reprised his role as Anghel in the film Hari ng Selda: Anak ni Baby Ama 2. The following year, he top-billed his first primetime action-drama series, Basta't Kasama Kita. In 2005, he did two films: the horror thriller Kulimlim and the comedy La Visa Loca. He won the award for Best Actor in the 2006 Gawad Urian Awards, where he was called "Prince of Action".
He transitioned to GMA Network afterwards, taking on a prominent role in the 2007 TV series Asian Treasures along with Angel Locsin. Additionally, Padilla inked a two-film deal with GMA Films, featuring in Till I Met You and the 2009 horror-suspense film Sundo in collaboration with Viva Films. Subsequently, Padilla chose not to renew his exclusive contract, allowing him the flexibility to work on films for various production outfits, including Star Cinema Productions, FLT Films, Millennium Cinema, and GMA Films. During the same period, he portrayed the titular characters in the television series Joaquin Bordado and Totoy Bato, both of which are based on comic book characters created by Carlo J. Caparas.
In 2010, Padilla returned to ABS-CBN. His projects with the network included the 2011 sitcom Toda Max. In 2011, Padilla directed his first TV commercial under his own production company, RCP Productions. In 2013, Padilla returned to GMA Network, where he featured in a cameo role in Adarna alongside his daughter Kylie Padilla. He also played the lead role in the 2013 action thriller 10,000 Hours under Viva Films, winning the Best Actor award in the 39th Metro Manila Film Festival and Actor of the Year in the 2014 Box Office Entertainment Awards.
On December 1, 2015, he returned to ABS-CBN and was one of the judges for the fifth season of talent competition show Pilipinas Got Talent. He was also one of the judges in the succeeding season in 2018. His stint as a PGT judge had multiple controversies including xenophobic and racist statements. In a 2017 talk show interview, he loudly shouted that he wanted sex. In December 2025, Padilla signed a contract with Viva Communications to star in the third installment of the Bad Boy film series from the 1990s.
In 2020, Padilla joined the military and became a reserve officer in the Armed Forces of the Philippines with the rank of captain with the help of the Duterte administration. On July 30, 2020, he was elected by the Army's Multi-Sectoral Advisory Board as its new Strategic Communication Committee chairperson. In December 2021, Padilla and other reservists running in the 2022 elections were relieved of their posts "to ensure the organization's non-partisanship". The Army clarified this did not relieve Padilla of being in the reserve force. In March 2024, Padilla held the rank of reserve Lieutenant Colonel.
In 2026, Padilla admitted that he became a communist rebel, stating "Komunista po ako" (I am a communist) on record during a court trial he attended. Padilla met with exiled Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison in the Netherlands in June 2017. After criticism, Padilla later retracted his statement and 'clarified' that his statement referred to his alleged philosophical support only, not actual rebellion against the government. However, it was later revealed by philanthropist Angel Locsin that Padilla before admitted to her that he indeed lived in the mountains for a time as a rebel. Locsin stated "Nung mga panahong magkasama tayo, madalas mong ikuwento 'yung panahon na namundok ka at nag-armas." (Back then, you would often tell stories about the time you went to the mountains and took up arms). Padilla has stated that he is ready to be stripped from his military reservist position.