Rica Peralejo responds to church tithes accusation

Rica Peralejo has spoken out forcefully after being accused online of allegedly misusing church tithes—an allegation she says is both baseless and deeply unfair.

In a Threads post, Rica addressed the accusation head-on after a TikTok user named Agathon Topacio posted a comment insinuating wrongdoing. The message read: “If you steal the tithes, may balik talaga.”

(“If you steal the tithes, there will be consequences.”)

Rica did not let the claim pass quietly. Sharing a screenshot of the post, she responded with visible frustration, calling out what she described as a harmful and misleading narrative being pushed against her.

“Pasikatin ‘to si Agathon Topacio from TikTok who keeps insinuating I use the money of our church,” Rica wrote.

(“This is just Agathon Topacio from TikTok trying to gain attention by insinuating I use our church’s money.”)

She went on to directly refute the accusation, pointing out the illogic behind it. “How can I use it when I have more money from all my years of work till present than my husband and the church?”

The actress, who stepped away from mainstream show business years ago, stressed that the accusation says more about the accuser than about her. She suggested that the claim was carelessly made, without thought for its impact on her character and reputation.

“Alam naman natin na hindi lang siya nag-iisip ng magandang narrative kaya hindi siya nakapili ng tamang ibato sa pagkatao ko,” she added.

(“We know they're not thinking of a good narrative, which is why they didn’t choose the right thing to throw at my character.”)

She then questioned the motive behind the repeated attacks. “Pero I wanna know why kaya?” (“But I want to know why, really?”)

Rather than stopping at a rebuttal, Rica called for accountability. She urged that the individual behind the accusation be looked into, expressing concern over why she had become a target in the first place.

She also hinted at possible underlying reasons behind the hostility. “I have theories. One is projection,” she wrote. “Yung iniwan namin for that reason ay malapit sa kanya.”

(“What we left behind for that reason is close to her.”)

Rica Peralejo’s response resonated with many online, sparking conversations about misinformation, online accusations, and the ease with which reputations can be questioned on social media. By choosing to address the issue publicly and directly, she made clear that while she has stepped away from the limelight, she will not remain silent when her integrity is put into question.