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Sunday, December 28, 2003
Flavier: The parable of the advertisement
By Juan Flavier
THE FARMER was considered most lucky for owning a choice home lot in the rural town. The site eventually became a major corner intersecting the national highway and the main road to the barrio proper.
Naturally, as the corner house, its eventually became the favorite posting area of all sorts of advertising bills. Salesmen took liberties and pasted printed paper and nailed painted plywood or G.I. sheets on the wall of the farmer's house. He tried to remove the ugly pieces marring the house, but the advertisements reappeared even faster.
During elections, candidates' posters were plastered on layer after layer at the strategic corner house for all to see.
It was perhaps his sense of helplessness which spawned his hatred for the advertisements posted on his house. From that time on, he developed an aversion for salesmen out to advertise their goods. The farmer bristled with anger and frustration.
The farmer's wife operated a lucrative sari-sari store on one side of the house fronting the highway.
It was then that a young man appeared seeking the farmer to advertise in the provincial paper.
At the mention of advertisement, the farmer almost keeled over with anger. "Never! Not on your life. Get out of my sight! We have operated this sari-sari store for twenty years with consistent success without advertising. I don't need you. I do not need any advertisement!"
The young man seemed used to the outburst and keep his cool. He asked, "By the way, what is that imposing cement structure on the hill?"
"The town church," replied the farmer with an icy tone.
"How long has it been there?" inquired the young upstart.
"Two hundred years next June."
"Don't you notice? They still ring the bell everyday. That is advertising. And that had enabled the church to last for two hundred years."
(December 28, 2003 issue)
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