The immortal stories related to the country's famous malls are the story of the snake man at Robinsons Galleria, and how actress Alice Dixson survived the victimization of the snake-man.
Robinsons Galleria (or Robinsons Galleria Ortigas) was built in 1990 along EDSA corner Ortigas Avenues in Quezon City. It is owned by the Robinsons Mall of the Gokongwei family. The father of the family, John Gokongwei, is said to have had a snake child. He is said to be the twin of his daughter Robina Gokongwei-Pe.
The snake is a symbol of prosperity in Chinese belief. So that's just how the issue of the snake is forced to be attached to the Gokongwei family. There are many versions of this urban legend.
The family says it is a lucky charm. In another version, it looks like Robina is a twin. Others say that the snake man is a woman and that he is laying a golden egg - which gives wealth to the Gokongwei family. In another story, the Gokongwei family allegedly took care of it and lived in the basement of the mall. For the reptile to survive, it is said to eat the female victims from the mall's dressing rooms.
It is said that this snake man has access to CCTV, and this is what the creature uses to observe his future victim. When he touches the beauty, he says he will press a switch which in turn will open the chambers to the snake-man cave. The women who fall into this trap will in turn serve as the creature's supper.
The name Alice Dixson (July 28, 1969) can no longer be removed from the snake conversation at Robinson mall. A popular actress in the nineties joined Binibining Pilipinas and became the country's winner in Miss International in 1986, she is said to be one of the victims of the snake man. The actress was lucky to escape from the hand of the 'snakeman'. It is said that the actress was paid a large sum through a solicitor named Frank Chavez, in exchange for her silence.
Aside from Dixson, actress Rita Avila also allegedly fell victim to the snake. Unfortunately, the actress did not survive and we only see "clones" so far.
Robinson and actress Alice Dixson strongly denied the stories. In fact, in an episode of GMA Network's Sarap Diva, the actress clarified that the allegations are untrue (the link for the episode is in the comment section).
The said incident happened in the 90s but until now the story has not died out. The story resurfaced when a dobleklara0528 uploaded to YouTube in 2010 the video that the snake man was supposed to be dead (the link for the Youtube video is in the comment section). The YouTube video went viral again in 2012 after the opening of additional Robinson malls in Malabon and Cebu. So far, the said video has over 1.2M views.
The story is just considered a big prank and urban legend. Robinson has already ridden such a story. In fact, in a speech by Robina Gokongwei-Pe at the University of the Philippines' School of Economics in 2008, she said:
"My twin was supposed to be the source of our wealth as she laid golden eggs. She was supposed to be hiding under the floor of the fitting rooms, and every time a beautiful woman would enter, the floor would open and she would land right inside the mouth of my twin snake. "
"I have no idea who started this incredible story, but I have to tell you that some people believed it and even started staring at my legs to see if there were any signs of snakeskin. A few people still ask me about it, and I have to tell them that it has become a handbag at the Robinsons Department Store. "
On Twitter, Robinson posted a photo with Robina Gokongwei-Pe allegedly with her twin snake, but it was just a stuffed snake toy. (See comment section for the Twitter post)
In fact, in 2012 - Year of the Snake, Robina allowed a Robinson branch to feature snakeskin products. Robinson also used the story as the theme of their Halloween ads in 2018 (link is in the comment section).
According to Kathy Laudit Chong, who has a concept in the mall's Halloween ads, Robina approved the advertisement. It reached over 1,000 views per minute after being uploaded on October 30, 2018, on Robinson's Facebook page.
"We weren't expecting virality out of it. We wanted to debunk that urban legend," Chong said.
It was also the theme of the film Shake, Rattle, and Roll XV which was released in theaters on December 25, 2014, as part of the 40th Metro Manila Film Festival.
Disclaimer: Again not say whether or not these stories about the Robinson twins are true, as well as the other urban legends we have just published and will publish. We only share it based on the request of one of our readers. We rely solely on the research and articles we have included with this publication. We also have no plans to demolish the mall, not even the actresses mentioned in this post. Again, we are open to any corrections.
Source and Reference
[1] ABS-CBN (October 31, 2018), In time for Halloween, Alice Dixson makes light of urban ‘snake’ legend in ad
(Retrieved from https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/10/31/18/in-time-for-halloween-alice-dixson-makes-light-of-urban-snake-legend-in-ad)
[2] ABS-CBN (November 13, 2018), Robinsons bets Galleria rebirth on viral 'twin snake,' Alice Dixson ad
(Retrieved from https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/13/18/robinsons-bets-galleria-rebirth-on-viral-twin-snake-alice-dixson-ad)
[3] Bolando, AJ (October 29, 2013), 5 'creepiest, scariest' places in Metro Manila
(Retrieved from https://www.philstar.com/other-sections/news-feature/2013/10/29/1248991/5-creepiest-scariest-places-metro-manila)
[4] Coconuts Manila (July 14, 2014), Robinsons to the big screen!
(Retrieved from https://coconuts.co/manila/lifestyle/half-human-half-snake-robinsons-big-screen/)
[5] Femalenetwork.com (October 31, 2018), The Truth Behind Alice Dixson and Robinsons Galleria's 'Snake Man'
(Retrieved from https://www.femalenetwork.com/entertainment/alice-dixson-snake-robinsons-galleria-a1110-20181031)
[6] Legendaire, The Robinson's Half-human Half-snake
(Retrieved from https://www.wattpad.com/amp/20284205)
[7] Torres, Margaux, Alice Dixson finally speaks up on the snake man in Robinson's Galleria
(Retrieved from https://www.google.com/amp/s/kami.com.ph/amp/60317-alice-dixson-debunks-urban-legend-snake-man-read-full-statement.html)
[8] Vibar, Ivy (October 25, 2012), Robinsons 'snake' returns as new malls open
(Retrieved from https://news.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/10/25/12/robinsons-snake-returns-new-malls-open)
[9] Wikipedia, Robinson's Galleria
(Retrieved from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinsons_Galleria)
