What the ‘gift’ showed and symbolized

There is nothing wrong with the “gift,” said Laguna Rep. Benjamin Agarao. The “gift” was presented on the occasion of his birthday, during which his political party, the Liberal Party, also welcomed new members through a mass oath-taking.

In a recorded video circulated in the social media, the “gift,” a group of female dancers called Playgirls, came up the stage, scantily clad, and in one segment did an a la Miley Cyrus-twerking dance with a man in yellow (the Liberal Party’s campaign color for the 2016 elections) shirt. The female dancers did raunchy and lewd movements.

According to the emcee of the show, the birthday “gift” came from Francis Tolentino, then chair of the Metro Manila Development Authority and a Liberal Party senatorial candidate prospect.

Tolentino, however, denied this.

The birthday celebrator said he saw nothing wrong about the “gift” and the dance. There was no report that

Tolentino attempted to stop the lewd show. Neither did any of the Liberal Party leaders and members present. If that was not a lewd performance, then what could be one?

In broad daylight and in public, decadence and debauchery were shamelessly acted out, cheered and used as entertainment by people in high echelons of government! And to think that the Liberal Party held in that same occasion a mass oath-taking for new members. God knows where they got the money to throw away a party that included paying women to perform for libidinal fun.

The Playgirls, too, said in interviews that they did not do anything bad, which only suggested their acceptance of the obnoxious idea that “women are made to please men” in whatever way. I do not wish that to see this acceptance of “macho victimization” handed down to their siblings, mothers, wives and children. I wonder if Agarao will enjoy seeing his wife, daughter and siblings dancing—twerking on top of a man lying on the floor. Would he be joining the public in applauding and say, “there’s nothing wrong in it”?

How then can we expect Agarao and his kind of politicians, who can also be found in other political parties, to work for the liberation of women from exploitation? These “leaders” do not know shame. These “leaders” promote the idea that indecency and obscenity are normal.

Moral bankruptcy has deplorably become a hallmark of Philippine politics and public service. No wonder, these “leaders” have lost all sense of accountability to the people whose taxes they steal to satisfy their lust and greed. No wonder corruption, lies and various manifestations of decadence stunt Philippine growth!

—NORMA P. DOLLAGA, Kapatirang Simbahan para sa Bayan (Kasimbayan), [email protected]