Atom Araullo debunks misinformation about his name: 'Ang Atom po ay kumbinasyon ng Alfonso at Tomas'

Atom Araullo took to Twitter to stop the spread of misinformation about his name.

In a series of Tweets on Tuesday, the Kapuso journalist shared how the name "Atom" came about.

“Ang Atom po ay kumbinasyon ng Alfonso at Tomas, na pangalan ng dalawa kong Lolong astig,” he wrote.

Atom pleaded to netizens to stop spreading false theories about him being named after the August Twenty One Movement (ATOM), which was established upon the death of Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. on August 21, 1983.

“Ipinanganak ako noong 1982 (ayan age reveal tuloy),” he added.

In a separate Tweet, Atom said that it's just funny to him how people are still believing false theories and using them against him.

"Never thought I'd need to explain this, but here we are. #Disinformation is real. Learning poverty is real," he said.

To keep things light, Atom joked, "baka ang agenda lang pala nila ipa age reveal ako. I've been played! Curses!"

Shucks baka ang agenda lang pala nila ipa age reveal ako. I’ve been played! Curses! ????

— Atom Araullo (@atomaraullo) October 25, 2022

We did the math, so you don't have to: Atom turned 40 last week — and with much aplomb, if we may add!

On his birthday, he bagged the silver award for Documentaries and Reports (TV, Online, and Cinema) in the Human Concerns and Social Issues category at the Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards for his documentary, "Munting Bisig."

On that same week, he also won the Palanca Award for his essay "Letter from Tawi-Tawi," which was first published in GMA News Online.

In a 2021 episode of The Howie Severino Podcast, Atom previously clarified his name. 

""I was born in 1982 so it has nothing to do with the August 21 movement. I was born before Senator Ninoy was assassinated," the journalist said.

"Well, my whole name is Alfonso Tomas. 'Yun ang origins noon. Alfonso is the name of my lolo on the father side and then Tomas is the name of my other lolo sa mother side. And naisip ko na ipangalan ako sa aking mga lolo at 'yung combination noon is 'Atom.' Ganoon lang siya ka-simple," Atom added.

We hope this clears it, everyone! The name Atom is an amalgam of Alfonso and Tomas! — LA, GMA News