Whether taken for granted, bitter, or broken, employees of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) were asked to reveal the status of their love life after the agency released a memo for a Valentine’s Day dress code.

Sent out on Thursday, February 13, eve of the day of hearts, the memo directed DILG personnel to “express how they feel” on Valentine’s Day by wearing a colored shirt or dress that corresponds to the status of their love life. “For compliance,” it ordered.

No need for speculations or lengthy explanations. The color will do all the talking.

Black won’t be for someone in grief. Green won’t mean envious or jealous. Blue won’t mean peaceful and content. Red won’t mean ditched and angry.

Here’s how to decode the DILG’s own colored dress code on Valentine’s Day:

• RED – TAKEN… for granted
• WHITE – In a relationship
• PINK – Umaasang babalikan (Hopeful for a reconciliation)
• ORANGE – Pinuyat pero ‘di jinowa (Led on) 
• YELLOW – Moving on
• GREEN – Bitter and broken
• BLUE – Looking/waiting for someone
• VIOLET – Friend-zoned
• BROWN – It’s complicated
• GRAY – Single
• BLACK – Happy and contented

Participating in the Valentine dress code exercise, according to the memo, was a way of balancing personality and professionalism. 

After the memo was posted on the DILG’s Facebook page, employees quickly jumped in to volunteer what they were wearing for the occasion. A group of firemen wearing their black uniform gamely declared: “Happy and contented.”

Not all, however, could find a color that was a perfect fit. Said one: “Paano kung walang applicable na status dyan ang empleyado? (What if there’s no status applicable to an employee?)”

Not to worry. Fit or no fit, many were amused by the gimmick, finding it “cute” or “cool” – maybe even out of character for a national government agency not associated with matters of the heart. – Rappler.com