Atty. Amanda Marie F. Nograles, Department of Trade and Industry Assistant Secretary and Consumer Protection Group Supervising Head, quite summed up this wrong lesson on “tapang ng apog” or whether one does not have what it takes to be called matapang (brave): “The DTI is currently investigating if we have sufficient grounds to act on their business name registration. It can be seen from the incident that they used their business name. They used their official social media page to post this ‘April Fool’s Prank.’ Even if we say it’s a prank, we don’t sanction it here at the DTI and just let it go… The business name registration may be canceled, revoked, or suspended.
(Exact quote from the TV program KMJS: “Kasalukuyang sinisiyasat ng DTI kung meron tayong sapat na basehan para aksyunan yung kanilang business name registration. Makikita kasi sa pangyayari na ginamit nila yung business name nila. Ginamit nila yung official social media page nila para i-post itong ‘April Fool’s Prank’ nila. Kahit na sabihin nating isa siyang prank, hindi naman natin sina-sanction sa DTI, na hinahayaan lang natin… Maaaring ma-cancel, ma-revoke or ma-suspend yung business name registration.”)
Making a good deal of a show and apologizing for the booboo with little explanation on why it happened, Taragis is ostensibly uncritical for building long-term relationships and confidence with its customers. Treating them with “a big marketing stunt” so they can ride “with different kinds of emotions, and discussions” is a calculated statement that took too lightly the actual value of Taragis’ marketing ploy.
If their customers are not based in the Philippines, they will not easily forgive Taragis.
Contrary to its claim that it led others to join “bayanihan,” its Filipino public is made to think a thousand times before using the gut feeling in taking the opportunity to help people, especially on social media. We understand pranks are everywhere but since we are a generous and caring people, we seriously take the advancement of bayanihan and other Filipino values—and even try to take them to higher levels—rather than the deterioration of these values.
Secondly, out of “taas-noo,” a Filipino phraseology culled from our sense of pride, inappropriately comes a pain in the neck so to speak, or an abuse of the Filipino word and, therefore, an abuse of the culture that goes with the word. For centuries we generally have tidy foreheads, but Taragis wittingly exploited a father who was in dire need of winning the P100,000-prize by allowing its logo to be tattooed in the prominent space of his body, the forehead that is, in an abominably organized contest thanks to the absence of a DTI representative.
Critical thinking has become one of the most important virtues of responsible netizens. I share their view that Taragis is a case of “sorry but not sorry.” It needs to explain a lot, and we need a lot of time to examine it, considering its sinister online presence.
That the whole scenario was “scripted” and “elaborately planned” make us concede, “Mahirap siyang paniwalaan, madali siyang magmanipula.”
I will not be surprised if trapos or traditional politicians come to his defense. We are in a perturbing era of doing good things while doing bad ones. It is sadly becoming the norm. It should have been DER or double-effect reasoning, that is doing good and avoiding evil. (Cavanaugh 2014)
By the Holy Book, it should have been: “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14); and “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)
Portions of my opinion above were used by Philstar Life’s “Explainer” as they interviewed me and other colleagues in the college teaching profession a few days ago.
Following the law is bravery
I also would like to share a timely, specialist opinion from UP Associate Professor Anna Cristina A. Tuazon, Psy.D. concerning a more critical juncture of West Philippine Sea rows. She wrote in part:
“In the larger issue of protecting our sovereignty, what is courage? It is, perhaps, the willingness to face more powerful nations actively and not backing down simply because of fear. It could also be continuing to follow the international rule of law despite pressures to engage outside of it. Courage could be in the form of persevering in the long and difficult work of diplomacy despite accusations of cowardice because you know this path will prevent the unnecessary deaths caused by war.
“How can ordinary citizens show their courage and bravery? We should be brave enough to show our leaders how we think and feel about the matter. Some belittle such expressions as simply being ‘keyboard warriors.’ Others even condemn protests, the ultimate form of democratic expression, as unpatriotic. But when harnessed effectively, making full use of our democratic right to expressing our political opinions and beliefs can force our leaders to think thoughtfully and to make careful considerations before making any political action or inaction that affect us. We must have the courage to express ourselves. And we must have the courage to do so responsibly. Otherwise, we revert to recklessness instead of courage.
“As we admire the bravery of our past heroes, we must recognize and support bravery in its present form. Let us commit to the path worth taking and face our fears.” (Tuazon 2024)
The more we expound the values of a person and their place, the more likely it is that our prayer will be answered. The more we draw attention to oversights, the more likely it is that bravery and courage will benefit us all. Pointing out such mistakes is crucial to developing more reliable leaders.
DC Alviar
Professor DC Alviar serves as a member of the steering committee of the Philippine International Studies Organization (PHISO). He was part of National University’s community extension project that imparted the five disciplines of a learning organization (Senge, 1990) to communities in a local government unit. He writes and edits local reports for Mega Scene. He graduated with a master’s degree in development communication from the University of the Philippines Open University in Los Baños. He recently defended a dissertation proposal for his doctorate degree in communication at the same graduate school under a Philippine government scholarship grant. He was editor-in-chief of his high school paper Ang Ugat and the Adamson News.
