The man dubbed by netizens as the “Fishball King” after joining a protest in Manila last Sunday, September 21, has been identified as Alvin Karingal, a former mayoral aspirant in the capital.

Karingal, who was previously the first one to file his certificate of candidacy for Manila mayor on October 1, 2024, bringing his platform that includes better disaster response and advocating for climate change action, as an affected individual during the onslaught of Typhoon Ondoy in 2009.

While his political bid failed to gain traction, Karingal remained active to be politically aware.

From Candidacy to Virality

During the weekend rally in Luneta Park, Karingal carried an unusual advocacy — calling for the lowering of prices of popular street food such as fishball, kwek-kwek, kikiam, calamares, and tokneneng. Hours later, he was arrested during a riot in Mendiola.

A photo of him in a torn shirt, being restrained by a police officer, quickly spread across social media, sparking public curiosity about his identity.

A Mother's Plea

The mystery was resolved when his mother, Mean Karingal, came forward to reveal her son’s background in front of the Manila Police District (MPD) where she was hoping to see her child. She disclosed that Alvin struggles with mental health issues and needs regular medication, appealing to authorities for his immediate release.

Outside the Manila Police District headquarters, she stayed on standby, pleading with police officers to let her son go.

What began as a lighthearted protest chant about street food prices has unexpectedly turned Karingal into a symbol of dissent, representing how ordinary Filipinos, even those facing personal struggles, try to make their voices heard in times of national unrest.