The Vandals Are Here!

My wife and I took a yosi (cigarette) break after lunch yesterday. While puffing away at our favorite local sari-sari store I noticed a Sun Cellular tarpaulin ad with a lot of cigarette burns. I pointed out a particular spot on Jay-R’s nose to my wife.

“My doing,” I confessed with a grin. This was returned with a disapproving look. I told her that it’s so Pinoy, vandalizing public or private property, and that I think Filipinos are more Vandals than the Eastern Germans were.

Anywhere you go in Manila alone, you would see vandalism. Walls painted with public service messages or warnings such as “Walang iihe dito. Potol tite” (No pissing here. Penis will be castrated), “bawal pomasok dito snatchers, bobogbogin” (snatchers are not allowed inside, you will be beaten to pulp), or “bawal magatapon ng basura dito” (don’t throw your garbage here). More often than not, the last reminded is, ironically, written on a wall towering over a heap of garbage.

Ride a bus, you would surely see messages from passengers asking for textmates or phonepals written on the back of the seats (i.e. wanted: txtm8 09161234567, cute girls only, randy hir). Or you could check out school restrooms, a lot of inspirational quotes (“kabataan, hawak mo ang kinabukasan sa ‘yong kamay” [youth, the future is in your hands]) are available for consumption.

There are also times when vandals would express their artistic talents by drawing human genetalia on walls or armchairs. Usually, vandals put in writing their inner feelings, may it be love (err, lust) “Michelle ang laki ng dyoga mo, nakakalibog ka!” (Michelle you have huge boobs, you make me horny) or hate “Michael, kupal ka! Ang panget mo!” (Micahel, you cum residue! You’re so ugly!).

Gangsters also use vandals to mark their territories (although most of the places aren’t really their territories) or to brag which gangs they belong to (Temple Street Trese, Trese Judas, True Brown Style, Triskellion, Scout Royal Brotherhood, etc.)

Even protesters resort into vandalism to show their disapproval for the government (“Gloria! Ibagsak!” [Down with Gloria!]) or their employers (“Boycott [put brand name here] products!”).

On a lighter side, there’s a lot of good vandalism emerging today which I prefer to call graffiti. I’m not sure if I would consider MMDA Art as graffiti though, which I see as just plain vandalism.

Vandalistic messages or images are eyesore to most people but every time I see Jay-R’s or Jericho Rosales’ face covered with cigarette burns, it doesn’t fail to amuse me.