You’ve likely seen a couple of videos about Gil Puyat Avenue getting a surprise renaming. In case you missed it, there were several street signs that were changed to Gil Tulog Ave., likely puzzling commuters and motorists who saw it.
Some were amused, while others called it disrespectful to the late former Senate President, Gil Puyat. Netizen reactions were mixed, but the Makati City Mayor’s Office made it clear that they’re not pleased about it.
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There’s no use in going out to see it for yourself now. Makati City Mayor Abby Binay has ordered to take the street signs down and is now nowhere to be seen at the time of writing. So, why were the street signs changed? It’s apparently part of an ad campaign. It can also be filed under guerrilla marketing gone wrong.
In her statement, Binay said “It is unfortunate that the request for a permit for the so-called advertising campaign to change the street signs of Gil Puyat Avenue did not reach my office. Kung dumaan sa akin yan, rejected yan agad.”
“The city officials who issued the permit should have exercised prudence. They should have been more thorough. Dapat inisip ang kaguluhan na maaaring idulot sa mga motorista at komyuter. At dapat ay binigyang halaga ang respeto sa pamilya at sa alaala ni dating Senate President Gil Puyat. I have already reprimanded these officials for this glaring oversight.
“Humihingi ako ng paumanhin sa ating mga kababayan at sa pamilya ni dating Senate President Puyat. These signs have been taken down on my instruction,” added Binay.
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To say that the relatives of the late Senate President weren’t happy about it is an understatement. Erika Puyat-Lontok, the great-granddaughter of Sen. Gil Puyat, aired her discontent over the marketing stunt in a Facebook post.
“Besmirching my late great-grandfather’s name to sell freaking melatonin is so disrespectful!” The post then tagged the Gigil advertising agency and Wellspring, a health and beauty company.
It’s worth pointing out that altering and/or changing a street's name isn’t as straightforward as with what just happened. Per the National Historic Commission, “Local government units cannot rename public place if the original name was created by an act of Congress or by a proclamation of the President of the Philippines. No national road, school, hospital and other national property can be named or renamed by a local government unit.”
