PH politics and women: On using ‘Playgirls’ to entertain politicians

Videos of a group of women called the Playgirls dancing “mischievously” for Laguna Representative Benjamin Agarao Jr.’s birthday party has been spreading online like wildfire, and so are social media comments. The performance was believed to be sponsored by MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino, and despite his denial, popular opinion remains condemning.  

But more important than asking who brought the women to the party is asking why they were brought to the party in the first place.

Whether it was courtesy of Tolentino or not, the backlash in the political aquarium is secondary to the implications of twerking women seen as entertainment in Filipino morality. How such a lewd event could affect Tolentino’s chances for a senatorial seat cannot undermine how it became apparent that women dressed for a beach escapade are considered as carnival attraction by men who currently hold key posts in government.

If our supposedly learned statesmen think it is perfectly okay for women to wear literally strips of clothing and dance for them to their libido’s content, then it is frightening how the average Filipino perceives it to be.  

Nevertheless, the solon said it was an event after and not in any way a continuation to the Liberal Party’s oath-taking. Thus, the event was not a political event. But, can decency and decorum be abraded even more if the Playgirls danced for Mar Roxas?

The issue transcends the political. The issue is now about women and how they continue to be exploited.

Women remain to be a discriminated and abused sector. Despite being 9th in the world’s most gender-fair countries since 2006 according to the World Economic Forum, women continue to suffer inferiority in health, representation, employment, and protection against violence and exploitation.

The solon is undaunted as he claims it was a gift and it took place in his private residence. The event could have even been more private as in a closed-door sound-proofed room in Antarctica, but the fact that it was filmed and brought to public attention slams his attempt for redemption. He cannot easily claim to be acting in the capacity of a testosterone-crazed average Juan.

He is, after all, still a statesman. His acts must be or at least appear to be consistent with the dignity and integrity of his office. He owes that to those who reposed their electoral trust in him. If a congressman perceives women in skimpy and scant clothing sensually dancing and simulating sexual intercourse as mere entertainment, what does it say for the constituents he represents?

As election day and the date of filing of the certificate of candidacies draws nearer, it is almost reflexive that every issue be politicized – how it would affect the surveys, how it may be a sucker punch attack of the rival or how stressed the publicity control team may be.

But during the election season, the country actually has other issues – bigger issues. The Filipinos are not just voters, they are also citizens who must consider other rights and duties than suffrage. May all these hullabaloos be seen more in the light of the protection and empowerment of women rather than a few men’s political careers.

Then again, all of these are notwithstanding Tolentino’s persistent reminder that the women wear skirts. It is with fervent hope that the chairman intended below-the-knee ones. – Rappler.com

Maria Reylan Garcia is a 3rd Year Juris Doctor student from the University of St. La Salle, Bacolod City.