Clearance for diaper TV ad recalled

THE Ad Standards Council (ASC) yesterday recalled the clearance it issued for the airing of a diaper commercial, which is subject to a complaint by the Lapu-Lapu City Government. In a letter sent to Advertising Board of the Philippines (Adboard) executive director Jones Campos, ASC executive director Mila Marquez said the council received a cease-and-desist order against the EQ Diapers commercial from the National Historical Commission. Marquez said letters about the recall of the commercial’s clearance to air will be sent to the Kapisanan ng mga Broadcasters ng Pilipinas (KBP) and the GMA Network. The McCann Worldgroup, the advertising agency behind the commercial, has been informed of the recall. The Philippine Association of National Advertisers, which will be given a copy of the letter recalling the commercial, will tackle Lapu-Lapu City’s demand for the diaper manufacturer and advertising company behind the ad to issue a public apology.
Ethics
The Code of Ethics of Advertising states that historical events and national heroes “can be used in advertisements only if presented accurately and respectfully used to promote positive values.” Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza thanked the Adboard, the ASC and the National Historical Commission for acting promptly on the City’s request. “I thank the Cebuanos and my fellow Oponganons for standing up with me in denouncing the ad as a distortion and mockery of our gallant history,” she said in a press statement. The commercial portrays Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan giving a box of diapers to Datu Lapu-Lapu and his wife Reyna Bulakna. When Reyna Bulakna exposes the poor quality of the diapers, Lapu-Lapu challenges Magellan to a fight.
Reenactment
“Without our collective effort to promote with great accuracy our history and to preserve our culture and heritage, we would not have been successful in our endeavor,” the mayor said. The City will commemorate the Battle of Mactan on Sunday with a reenactment. “As we commemorate the Kadaugan sa Mactan, let us embrace the values that the lessons of our history taught us and let us stand proud as descendants of Lapu-Lapu,” Radaza said. The Battle of Mactan occurred on April 27, 1521, after Lapu-Lapu opposed Magellan’s mission to Christianize the natives. Earlier, the City wrote the National Historical Commission, the Adboard and the diaper manufacturer to complain about the commercial.