Advertisers withdraw ads from indecent programs

The greatest influence on people who grew up in my generation were first, their families; second, their schooling. This is no longer true of the present generation. The greatest influence on children today, sad to say, is media meaning TV, radio and the press. Unfortunately, it is not a good influence. Media is supposed to inform and entertain. But the values that it exhorts are all wrong. The two most popular themes are sex and violence. This is why we were so glad to hear Pampanga Rep. Francis Nepomuceno, who chairs the House Committee on Civil Service and Professional Regulation praise Jollibee, Coke and Greenwich and advertising firm Mc-Cann-Ericsson for withdrawing their advertisements from "scandalous television program," Well and good.

Our suggestion, however, is that we should start with the ads themselves. The first rule that all local ads should adopt is that they present the Filipinos at their best in all their ads. As it is now, we see food advertisement ads trying to sell their food product by showing one of their Filipino consumers enjoying eating their product while flagrantly violating basic sanitation practices, not to mention good table manners. They lick their food before consuming it and worst offer it to others after they have licked it. The very least they can do is to show the public that their consumers eat sanitarily and have good table manners.

We agree 100 percent that scandalous TV shows should not be sponsored in TV. But the best way to do this is by the sponsors themselves setting the example. TV could be one of the most powerful instruments we have for nation-building. We saw the great influence it has world-wide when it covered the recent death of the Pope. But, sad to say at the moment TV generally has only two themes – sex and violence.

There was a time when the greatest contribution to education was the blackboard. Now it is TV – if it is used properly.

We join Rep. Nepomuceno when he says, "It is high time that prestigious business institutions turn their backs on TV programs that immensely destroy the moral fiber of the country and which have a negative impact on children. With the proliferation of highly irresponsible TV people, advertisers should not focus mainly on ratings. Advertisers should also review the content of the programs they are supporting. Unfortunately, television is suffocating its audience with gossip, rumors, extra-marital affairs, sex videos, indecent attire, lesbianism, homosexuality, dirty jokes and other antics not fit for public consumption."

Let’s put TV to its greatest use. Let it be the greatest exponent of national progress by calling attention to the problems of the nation. The good thing about TV is that it reaches us in our homes. Let it project the greatness of our nation.