Filipino social media was all abuzz when pictures of a Liberal Party birthday celebration were spread all over the place. At this celebration of Congressman Benjie Agarao, sexy dancing girls called the Playgirls suddenly came up on the stage and did things that should have been done only in shady strip clubs. It was claimed to be a gift from MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino, which he later on denied.
Tolentino’s reactions seem to betray an inability to realize that sexy performances are considered immoral by other Filipinos.
Sadly, though, this is only the latest among the government gaffes where lewd shows have become part of activities. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is guilty of holding a similar show one time.
There was this town celebration where there was a bodybuilding contest. But something was wrong with the picture:
Sadly, this contradicts what one of our most controversial politicians have claimed about the country.
Yes, it seems Filipinos, when they have a special event, don’t know anymore how to celebrate with decency. It’s like a stripper show is part of “normal celebrations.” If we have sexy dancing girls on TV, who, knows, we might have it at children’s parties, too.
But onto theories. The talk is that politicians as well as police are paid to protect sex dens from closure. The presentation of Playgirls at Agarao’s birthday is probably payback for something like this. But even if it was not like this, it is certainly embarrassing that “dignified” politicians would turn to kalaswaan as their preferred form of entertainment.
Of course, sex dens have been all over the place. There was Alibangbang that existed for a long time in Cubao (it became Bangbangali and moved). And all over Cubao, as in Ermita, Marikina, Makati, indeed wherever there are Filipinos there are likely to be sex dens. When the American bases were around, Filipinos in the area were only happy to sell their bodies for the Joes’ dollars. Yet even when the Americans left, those joints are still around (as in the case of Jeffrey Laude). Anyone remember Adam Carolla highlighting that the Philippines is known for Sex Tourism?
But think about that. We not only have a nation whose women are commercially sexualized, but that sexualization exists alongside the fact that many Filipinas abroad are sex workers. Remember when there was trouble in Libya and trouble started in Syria, many Filipinas who were at risk of being caught in the crossfire were not only helpers but even sex workers. Many of them are even undocumented.
This episode with a Liberal Party “party” has served to remind me of the dire straits many Filipino sex workers are in, and that this is common among Filipinos abroad. Consider the headlines below I gathered to demonstrate the point.
With all the above, I doubt the priests can rightly call the Philippines a “god-fearing nation.”
This only lends support to my theory that the Filipino identity is actually centered on anything dysfunctional. If you are non-dysfunctional, have healthy control over your sex life and aren’t clamoring for “malaswang” shows like the above, then you might be branded as unpatriotic.
That many people are outraged by this gives hope that we can still turn things around. But with politicians taking lewd shows and treating them like normal things, we can be sure that the people in place right as “leaders” are not leading at all. They’re just pandering to constituents with connections (KKK) and not doing anything to solve the problem. If you have an official like Tolentino who says “motorists are free to video MMDA enforcers” one day and “Motorists who video enforcers can be charged” on another, and then comes up with a show like the above, you know we shouldn’t take this moronism quietly.
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