Where Have All The Bad Boys Gone?

I read the articles written by Malu Fernandez poking fun at OFWs and I have to say it was not amusing. The article's tone was mean, not funny. It was just highbrow snobbery, pure and simple. If she intended it to be a comedic take or satirical piece (which she earlier claimed) on how baduy or crass our OFWs are, then her article missed its mark by a mile. It was like she was trying to imitate Dona Buding but instead coming off like one of those one-dimensional, matapobre characters in the movies usually portrayed by Rosemarie Gil or Armida Sigiuon-Reyna. If Malu Fernandez wants to take the mantle of Dely Atay-Atayan as the new Dona Delilah, I suggest she think again because people don't find her funny at all. Now, instead of becoming the next Dona Buding, she has become the Face of Philippine Snobbery (or the "Mahaderang Matapobre" as some bloggers call her).

Now that she has resigned (and may very well have to move abroad because of her new-found celebrity or notoriety), it would be good for Miss Fernandez to do some soul searching and polish her manners, not to mention her writing skills. Writing satire and comedy requires a high level of skill - I think Malu Fernandez found this the hard way - and not everyone has the talent for it. But believe me, Malu Fernandez will be back after a couple of years when things have cooled off. People in this country have very short memories. No one "loses his reputation" in this country - people just let it hang for a while to dry. Her notoriety may even prove beneficial to her journalistic career and I wouldn't be surprised to see later on that Malu Fernandez will be able to parlay her notoriety for some financially lucrative talk show. Just look now at Ruffa Gutierrez: from the ashes of "Take it, Take it" she rose to marry a Turkish millionaire and is once again a bankable actress with several product endorsements and a primetime TV show in ABS-CBN.

It seems to me that bad girls nowadays dominate the news, not only here in the Philippines but even abroad. From the head-shaving Britney Spears to the drunk-driving Lindsay Lohan to the sex-tape antics of Paris Hilton, girls behaving badly are attracting all sorts of media attention. Just months ago, American TV networks devoted more airtime to Paris Hilton getting released from jail than say, a famine in Africa or the war in Iraq. If you reward attention-seeking behavior with media attention, I believe that TV networks are just reinforcing these celebrities' bizarre conduct. Case in point: after Paris Hilton, it is now Lindsay Lohan's turn to get caught drunken-driving. I mean with the millions they earn, why don't they just hire a driver?

It seems that the bad boys are nowhere to be found. The so-called "Bad Boy of Philippine Movies" Robin Padilla is now a reformed ex-convict and a devout Muslim to boot. He still has his swagger and still talks that "kanto boy" talk of his but viewers can see that he is just a mere shadow of his Bad Boy self. Erap Estrada, the other Bad Boy of Philippine Movies Plus Politics is now in jail facing corruption charges. Even his son, Senator Jinggoy "Fresh Prince of San Juan" Estrada, used to be haughty during their time in Malacanang but is now a pleasant enough fellow (or so I am told). Everyone's favorite whipping boy, First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, is recuperating from his bypass operation and is currently out of the news (which I think is good news for his media handlers). There is also no news about Joc Joc Bolante (is he still jail in Chicago or is he already out on bail?) and Virgilio "Garci" Garcillano (who I believe is leading a quiet life in the boondocks of Bukidnon).

Of course, this is not to say that there are really NO more bad boys around. It just may be that the bad girls are getting more media attention than the bad boys. Is it because news stories about boys behaving badly don't sell anymore?