BEHIND THE SCENES

‘Indecent’ women and holidays galore
Alfred P. Dizon

Men will always be women, Cassanova had quipped. The ageless playboy maybe correct as some members of the fairer sex often flaunt their femininity wearing almost nothing at all even in freezing weather. One could see them along Session Road in Baguio but nobody is complaining. If a woman walked along the popular thoroughfare wearing a see-through miniskirt in the 70s, it could have raised a howl among the conservatives. Not anymore where everybody is fair game.

Comes now the news that a policewoman who goes by the username “Queen Rubie” and assigned at the office of the Philippine National Police chief is now in hot water after she flaunted her femininity by posting an “indecent” photo of hers on the popular Friendster online community.
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The policewoman’s controversial half-body shot showed her wearing only a red bra. Although the picture did not indicate that she was a policewoman with a rank of P02, Queen Rubie listed the PNP in her list of affiliations.

Reports had it that the National Police Commission, the agency of the government that administers and controls the PNP, had to dismiss charges of grave misconduct and conduct unbecoming of an officer against Queen Rubie because of failure of the complainant to show up.

Corazon Santos, a parent claimed she was scandalized when she saw the picture being browsed by her 11-year old son on Friendster, an Internet social network service. Queen Rubie was reportedly waiting for the right forum or venue to air her side but this never came because Santos never showed up.
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The policewoman said the photo which was used as basis in filing the charges against her before the Napolcom was not “indecent and unacceptable” as pictured by Santos. Queen Rubie was quoted as saying other policewomen had posted pictures more scandalous than hers. Despite this, PNP chief Oscar Calderon transferred her to another post.

I guess Calderon just didn’t want the issue to be blown out of proportion like a miniskirt during a storm. We don’t think a picture of a woman wearing a bra or a panty is indecent. One could see such pictures everywhere – on huge billboards, magazines, newspapers or fashion or clothes brochures.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, goes an adage. If one sees evil in a woman wearing a panty or a bra, that is one’s opinion. But to impose one’s jaded idea of what is “indecent” on other people – that is indecent. Despite all these laws on indecency and pornography, one just knows whether a picture or act is indecent or not. Period.
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As if this Banana Republic didn’t have enough holidays, this August, we will have two long weekends following the signing into law of Republic Act 9492 which rationalizes the celebration of national holidays.

The law mandates that most holidays, except those with religious significance, are moved to the nearest Monday. This will first be effected on Ninoy Aquino Day which falls on August 21, a Tuesday, which will now be automatically moved to August 20, a Monday.

National Heroes Day which is celebrated every last Sunday of August will now be celebrated last Monday of August. Thus, for this year, August 27 will also be a holiday.

The regular holidays namely Araw ng Kagitingan (April 9), Labor Day(May 1), Independence Day(June 12), Bonifacio Day (November 30) and Rizal Day( December 30) are now observed on the Monday nearest said dates.

The Republic Act signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo last July 25, stated: “In the event the holiday falls on a Wednesday, the holiday will be observed on the Monday of the week. If the holiday falls on a Sunday, the holiday will be observed on the Monday that follows.”

Exempted from holiday economics- that is, holidays will be observed on the date on which they fall are Christmas Day (Dec. 25), New Year’s Day (Jan. 1), All Saint’s Day (Nov. 1), last day of the year (Dec. 31), Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Eid’l Fitre (movable dates).
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President Arroyo, who coined the term holiday economics, introduced the policy in 2001 to encourage domestic tourism with employees having long weekends and to reduce disruption to business and production schedules.

The National Statistical Coordination Board figures showed that if tourism businesses and related industries increased by 10 percent as a result of the long weekends, the economy would experience a 3.5 percent growth in gross domestic product.

According to Malacanang, with this law, employers will now be able to plan out their work schedule without interruption since holidays are already known unlike before when there were sudden announcements of special non-working holidays which interrupt business.
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Under the country’s labor laws, employers must pay 200 percent of the daily rate to those employees who report for work on legal holidays like New Year’s Day, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Eid’l Fitr, Araw ng Kagitingan, Labor Day, Independence Day, National heroes Day, Bonifacio Day, Christmas Day and Rizal Day.

On special holidays, employers must pay 30 percent over the regular rate. These are the Ninoy Aquino Day, All Saints Day, Dec. 31, and holidays that may be declared from time to time by the President.

If one lumps all the holidays in a year, it would seem there are more days for leisure than work. Even in the workplace of government offices, one could see more time is being allotted for play than productive work. The other employees are busy selling anything from panties to puto.
So to the so-called disgruntled employees who complain of not having enough time, what are you complaining about?