DSWD chief, teachers hit band’s risqué video

MANILA, Philippines - A local band’s music video, which featured a teacher stripping in front of her male students, has incurred the ire of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon Soliman and teachers’ groups.

The showing of Line of 7’s music video for their song, “Langit,” is “unacceptable” and “teaches disrespect of one’s body and dignity,” Soliman said.

“If the boy band is Filipino, there is a law that regulates this – the anti-child pornography law,” Republic Act 9775, she added.

In the music video, the band members – vocalist Argee Golding, bassist Seth Torralba, drummer Matt Ong and lead guitarist Alex Dieudonne – are dressed up as high school students. In a fantasy sequence, the band members ogle their teacher as she takes off her clothes. Some scenes show the naked teacher flirting with the band members.

Before the music video was removed from the Youtube and Facebook websites, it received 3,000 hits in a 12-hour period and was shared 300 times.

Another version of the video has been posted on Youtube, with the teacher wearing a negligee.

A little respect

Benjo Basas, president of the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition, said a teacher should not have been portrayed in such a way.

“A teacher should be… respected because of their position and role in society, which includes academic instruction and moral guidance for the young,” he said. “They should not be portrayed as objects of desire, especially in a classroom setting.”

Basas said this group of “talented boys” could “perhaps… do another music video to pay homage to their teachers this National Teachers’ Month.”

Kabataan Rep. Terry Ridon said the band’s music video was a brazen move to use sex for commercial gain and called for vigilance against moves to make commodities of women.

“Youtube rightfully banned the video as it clearly debases and commodifies women. Seemingly, the boy band had a shortfall of creativity and introspection when they made the video,” Ridon said.

Fr. Francis Lucas, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ Episcopal Commission on Social Communication and Mass Media, also expressed his dismay over the music video.

“Anything of lascivious content is foul. Human dignity has to be respected,” Lucas said in a text message commenting on the video.