Saturday, May 06, 2006
US admits sponsoring controversial TV ad
By Edwin G. Espejo
THE US embassy in Manila admitted over the weekend it was behind the controversial advertisement that elicited strong reaction from the City Government.
US embassy press attaché Matthew Lussenhop said the advertisement is part of a global campaign to arrest "known terrorists."
"The US government is openly sponsoring an advertising campaign underway now in the Philippines as part of its Rewards for Justice program, a program that provides cash rewards for information leading to the apprehension of known terrorists," Lussenhop said in a statement sent to Sun.Star Business Weekly.
The advertisements, which were aired by several television and local radio stations and also appeared in several newspapers, created uproars in the city after images of a girl were flashed on the TV screen.
The TV commercial showed a girl named Precious recalling her childhood memories, which were shattered by a bombing attack in 2004.
The girl, the advertisement suggested, died in the December 2004 public market bombing attack that killed 15 people including a pregnant woman and injured at least 50 others.
The advertisement further asked the public to call 117 or dial a toll phone for any information that would lead to the arrest of suspects behind the bombing attacks in Mindanao and other cities in the country.
"We have heard reactions from some officials and we take their concerns seriously. We hope and expect to work with local authorities in the future to enhance public awareness of the Rewards for Justice program," Lussenhop said.
Lussenhop said the television version of the advertisement is no longer running in General Santos.
The City Council earlier passed a resolution on Thursday urging the Department of Tourism to help investigate the origin of an advertisement campaign dubbed "Call for Peace."
The resolution, which was unanimously approved by the members of the City Council, assailed the ad campaign, claiming it is destroying the image of the city.
Councilor Ramon Milleza said the advertiser should immediately pull out the ad campaign and "rephrase" it so as not to put the city in a bad light.
Milleza added that the intention of the peace campaign may be noble, but it should have been phrased in a way that is not inimical to the image of a certain locality.
"Why single out General Santos in the ad campaign when several other areas in the country had also experienced a series of bomb attacks?" Milleza asked.
Councilor Shirlyn Nograles, chair of the council tourism committee, said she understood that the objective of the ad campaign was to motivate the people to be vigilant.
But Nograles suggested that the advertiser should have reviewed the texts of the ad campaign to ensure it is not damaging to the image of a certain place.
Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr. bared he called up the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (Opapp) to know where the peace ad came from.
However, Acharon said, even the Opapp was not aware who prepared and paid for such advertisement.
Manuel Yaphuckon, former president of the General Santos City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said he received text messages from his friends, who are businessmen based in Cebu and Manila, asking if the city was again bombed by terrorists.
For Bisaya stories from General Santos.Click here. (This section is updated every Monday)
(May 1, 2006 issue)
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