A scandalized Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. on Wednesday called for a Senate investigation on the "blatant display of male genitals" Monday during a fraternity event in the middle of bustling University Belt in Sampaloc area in Manila.
Pimentel, in a privilege speech, denounced the event staged by members of the Alpha Phi Omega (APO) fraternity in which a number of male college students staged an event similar to the University of the Philippines (UP) Oblation Run.
Pimentel even used a PowerPoint presentation using newspaper photos of bonnet-wearing naked men running around the streets as children and young women looked on.
The group of naked men, reportedly numbering 24 and reportedly all belonging to APO fraternity, ran through the University Belt area carrying placards. They were reportedly protesting a host of issues, among them the rising cost of tuitions in universities.
Authorities reportedly let the naked runners continue with their protest while curious male and female onlookers reportedly had fun watching and taking pictures with their cameras and mobile phones.
No social value
Apart from violating laws on obscenity, Pimentel said the event had no redeeming social value whatsoever.
"What redeeming social value does displaying the male genitals to prurient or innocent audiences young and old posses to justify it?" he asked.
"I suggest that the young men probably had nothing better to do than show off their manly form for free," Pimentel added.
Pimentel noted there are laws that penalize "wanton obscene displays like frontal nudity of women and men," among other so-called exhibitionist behavior.
"These laws and rules send the message that not all pictures, not all acts of the human body, not all acts of men and women are fit for public viewing," he said.
Pimentel added, "That is why, I guess, some parts of the human body are called private parts."
Meanwhile, Pimentel's speech was referred to the education committee which would conduct the inquiry.
* I can understand why Senator Pimental was aghast by this report of this fraternity protesting in behalf of tuition fee increase by being naked. There are lots of ways to protest against tuition fee increase and you don't have to necessary show to the public your private parts. It's not healthy to those people seeing them especially to the minor. So, I know for this certain bad act, there would be a certain right of action the Government would do to these people involved.*