Philippine Volcanoes Guadalupe Billboards Down; Mayor Abalos' Up Soon!

The Philippine Volcanoes' billboards in Guadalupe modeling Bench underwear and advocating a call of support for the sport of Rugby in the Philippines only lasted for a few weeks after Mandaluyong Mayor Abalos suggested it to be taken down.

It was on the broadcast news last night, the same day it was taken down the afternoon of July 7, 2011. Seven men in three big billboards along the busy road of EDSA-Guadalupe visually got the attention of a lot of people; both admirers and naysayers.

Watch the recorded news video in Bandila News here.

Liberal Filipinos took it as it is - an advertisement of men's underwear and at the same time lobbying for the support of the masses for Rugby sport being played by local team Philippine Volcanoes. On the other hand, it was too much and "too big" a vulgarity for the eyes of the conservatives - the sizes of the billboards, that is.

Mayor Abalos, who answered in an interview, washed hand on the incident however saying that: "Baka sabihin nila nagpapakamoralista ako. I'm not very conservative," adding that he was only forced to do so due to the requests of the public.

One of those who requested was actually Valenzuela Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian who also tweeted "Good news! Just talked to Mayor Abalos of Mandaluyong. He ordered the removal of the 'men in briefs' billboard! Thank you Mayor Abalos!"

Those who supported the ads argued that how come other billboards with scantily-clothed women are allowed along the busy streets of EDSA and were never taken down?

Abalos answered that there were really no relevant complaints against these.

However, social media and netizens, just like the general public had varying opinion on the matter. Those who supported the ads were able to dig up some photos of Mayor Abalos hugging an alleged non-relative girl sometime in the past; this was posted and shared in Facebook. They matched this side-by-side together with the billboard photos and asked who is guilty and who is clean about matters of morality.

Philippine Volcanoes, Guadalupe Billboards, and Mayor Benhur Abalos

I hope it didn't have to reach in a mud-slinging like this. Local governments should define specific guidelines with advertisers so as not to be confused in drawing the line as to what types of billboard photos are admissible for public viewing and which are not.

In this specific case of the Philippine Volcanoes, Bench Billboards, and Mayor Abalos, up to what extent can an underwear advertise itself? Should it be advertised with the pants on and leave the imagination to the public or can it be shown as actually how it is - an underwear?