Modernisasyon sa Comelec ipatuman!

A beautiful girl of roughly sixteen years strode confidently in the midst of a crowd. Scantily clad, she gave an innocent smile in the direction where the camera was obviously mounted. Oh, there were other lovely damsels in similar two-piece bikini fashion some of whom were sunbathing (if I know what I mean to say). Other gals were swimming in the pool while still others simply frolicking. Few frames later, the camera zoomed in on them gulping a drink.  Even the pool changed its color to that of the beverage.

The scene I have described above is, actually, an advertisement plug of GSM Blue, which, in my understanding, is a kind of an alcoholic beverage. If I am wrong here, then I charge it to my not having learned how to drink liquor and consequently my inability to know how alcohol differs from other drinks. Anyway, I usually see this ad during sporting activities.

It is probably the old man in me that makes me feel uncomfortable with the scene. Maybe, my sense of values is made rigid by the passage of time that I cannot seem to tolerate that which I perceive to be inappropriate. Or perhaps, (and by golly, this can be worse!) my seniority gives me the temerity to claim that the kind of advertisement GSM blue is airing is not compatible with the general patronage audience of sports telecast. Who am I to impose my belief!

When a commercial involving alcoholic drinks and the suggestiveness of the sexuality of girls is aired, I look around. Call me a prude, and I don’t mind, but really, my immediate reaction is to find out if only mature people are watching. Without doubt, there are many television programs that carry such sensitive shots. They are aired not only in sports. They even find their way to news segments of tv programming.

I am pretty sure though that there are thousand other viewers who take time to watch sports on television. Always, the promotion of sports is associated with the development of the young. There are, for sure, very young boys who relish watching basketball games or boxing where the GSM Blue ad gets plugged.

This is the very crowd that I have in mind. I imagine that the porous minds of very active boys absorb the message. This early, there is one lesson I am apprehensive of. We are teaching them that the wholesomeness of sports can better be appreciated with an alcoholic drink on hand. Or better still girls with nary a cover on their private parts.

The more liberal among us will claim that this is protected speech. In constitutional law, this kind of commercial falls within the rubric of guaranteed right such that any attempt to limit it suffers the infirmity of unconstitutionality.

To me though, the time to legislate morality is now, specially while the leadership of our country pretends to be in a serious stage of development. We cannot leave our moral flanks, under the guise of growth, open to the onslaughts of the morally undesirable.  In fact, I believe it is a better formula to strengthen our moral fiber, thru legislation, while we chart our way to economic liberation.

We can, for instance, have laws that define which television programs can carry advertisements replete with suggestions of the desirability of sex and alcohol. There are many tools for achieving this end like charging low rates for kindred ad being placed in mature programs or corresponding high costs in shows that may be viewed by less mature audiences.

I suggest that the incoming congress consider this subject. When our new legislators, leaning on the guideposts of police power, write such statutes without violating the constitutional shorelines, then I feel confident that each time I open my television set, I shall not be confronted with uncomfortable ads.