Protests vs ‘bikini car wash’ mount

ILOILO CITY — It was meant to be a marketing strategy to attract more customers.

But the gimmick of Marina Restaurant here to employ bikini-clad girls to wash cars at its parking lot got more than the ogles of motorists and the curiosity of menfolk. Now, the resto is facing mounting protests from local women’s groups.

The militant women’s group Gabriela-Panay has kicked off protest actions to denounce the "bikini car wash" as "deliberate commodification" and "outright exploitation" of women.

At least 100 members of the Panay chapters of Gabriela and Bayan picketed the restaurant yesterday to seek a stop to the gimmick.

"We are severely disturbed by these incidents where women are being used as commodities and sex objects just to promote a business venture," said Lucy Francisco of Gabriela-Panay.

"No matter how the Marina management justify their so-called business innovation and creativity, this is still a clear degradation and exploitation of women," she added.

Francisco clarified that they do not condemn the "bikini car wash" girls who, she said, "are just victims of opportunistic and profit-hungry businessmen."

She urged the government to investigate such a scheme to protect the rights and welfare of women.

In Manila, Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas apparently heeded the call, directing the Bureau of Women and Young Workers to check possible violations committed by companies that employ women clad in skimpy bikinis to wash cars.

Sto. Tomas issued the order in response to a petition of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (Unifem) for a stop to such a practice.

In a statement, Unifem official Ermelita Valdeavilla said the practice not only demeans women, but "also insults the men for it views them as sex hunters, ready to prey upon hapless victims."

Even the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, the country’s biggest labor group, frowned upon the "bikini car wash."

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas told The STAR he was surprised to learn about the existence of the "bikini car wash" here.

Upon checking, he learned that Marina Restaurant, owned by Ross Paul Gorriceta, had indeed applied for a business permit for the "bikini car wash" but the application remains unapproved pending the submission of additional documents.

In an earlier interview, Gorriceta said the "bikini car wash" was a brainchild of his son. "We have to think of something unusual which no other businesses have thought of. What matters most is that these girls earn a decent living more than the salary of a regular eight-hour job," he said.

His restaurant employs three girls who earn P400 for three hours (3 to 6 p.m.) of washing cars. The car wash costs P100 up, depending on the type of vehicle. — With Mayen Jaymalin