Billboard Nation by Mike Alcazaren

BILLBOARD NATION
by Mike Alcazaren on Saturday, October 22, 2011 at 2:52pm
I love Governor Vi. She is a sweetheart to work with. Punctual, polite and genuine. But those years appearing in countless commercials may have influenced her to think the advertising way: “lagyan natin ng supers at lakihan natin ng husto”. Maybe she thinks not enough tourists know that Taal volcano is really part of Batangas and not Tagaytay, a city in the province of Cavite. Well, that is a bummer for the citizens of Batangas. Tagaytay was just gifted by God to have the more spectacular view of the spectacular B-A-T-A-N-G-A-S landmark. Ahhh...kaya lagyan natin ng supers para malinaw. Hey, if constructed, that potentially could be the largest billboard/signage in the world, ever! Something to be proud of (aside from the Philippines being the 5th largest Facebook user in the world)! We are, after all, the most billboard crazy nation in the region. The Guadalupe bridge area in Makati must have the most spectacular display of billboards that will put all first world nations to shame. These billboards have made Bruno Mars, the Philippine Volcanoes, Angelica Panganiban, Dingdong Dantes, Georgina Wilson, Borgy Manotoc, et al, household names; literally larger than life icons for their stunning achievements and contributions to Philippine society. I wonder why the world does not take the cue from us? We exalt ordinary but beautiful people and make money at the same time!? Genius! How amusing of the Americans to create a 30ft sculpture of Martin Luther King, carved from 159 pieces of granite and made to appear as if he were coming out of a mountain; an inspiration from Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech; the imposing figure gazing into the horizon and concentrating on the future and hope for humanity. Sheesh! What a piece of schmaltz! What a waste of taxpayer’s money! Boobs and botox are more important, people! That’s how you gain immortality! Not some silly monument, for people not known for their looks but...gah...their ideas! And they’re dead for crying out loud! Murdered even! How inconsiderate to remind people of the traumatic past! We live for the now, right? Hey, that’s from the hip wisdom of Eckhart Tolle. Gee, he’s Oprah-approved, in case you didn’t know. Be relevant people!