THE rubber shoes worn by the son of presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe were not worth P900,000 as one online news website and social media reported because they were knock-offs that he bought for P10,000, the owner of a specialty sneaker store said Saturday.
The senator’s 23-year-old son, Brian Poe Llamanzares, posted a photo of himself in what looked like limited edition Nike Air Mag Back to the Future Marty McFly 2015 sneakers on his Instagram account, drawing flak from social media users.
The news site Rappler reported the furor caused by the shoes, and noted that a pair of the limited edition sneakers sold for $19,999 or about P839,000 on eBay.
But Antonio Aguirre Jr., the proprietor of the sneaker store Sole Slam Manila, said he felt compelled to set the record straight in a comment on Twitter, saying that the shoes worn by the senator’s son were merely an imitation.
“LOL. THE SHOES ARE FAKE. What he’s wearing is worth about $100USD only. Get your facts straight,” he said.
The McFly 2015s are an exact copy of the sneakers worn by Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) in the 1989 time-travel flick Back to the Future 2. The shoes, which are self-lacing and light up just like the ones in the movie, sell for as much as $20,000 on eBay.
Rappler CEO Maria Ressa tweeted back that the facts were straight, and suggested that Aguirre, who goes by the name @soleslammanila on Twitter “read beyond the headlines.”
Aguirre shot back: “I read it. Top to bottom. PhP 10,000 he said. But you forgot to mention its a FAKE.”
The article’s writer, Camille Elemia, also questioned Aguirre’s credibility and said she had asked Llamanzares if the shoes were fake but received no response.
Reporting on the exchange, Politics.com.ph said: “Located in BF Homes, Parañaque City, Sole Slam Manila specializes in tracking down limited edition and other hard-to-find sneakers. One look at the shop’s innards and you’ll never doubt the passion of the man behind the business.”
Sought for comment, Poe said she asked her son about it after the news about it came out in social media. Her son told her how much he paid for the shoes.
Poe did not divulge the cost, but admitted she was shocked by what appeared on social media.
But she said her son used his own money to buy the shoes.
“We are teaching our son to save and to give importance to [his] job. But sometimes, we as women also want something for ourselves like bags or perfume,” she said.
She said she saw nothing wrong buying something for yourself as long as you worked hard for the money and did not steal it.
She also asked her critics to spare her family because they are private persons.