Hues With Me?

Foreword: Bayani Fernando aka BF has used pink to paint footbridges, bus corrals, and public urinals for high visibility. As urban legend has it, he uses pink and blue because they are his and his wife's favorite colors.

The Inquirer today printed a short editorial, calling for the rethink of pink. It seems after six-odd years of Bayani Fernando’s use of the color and one “left-leaning,” "pinko" request in congress for an formal inquiry into the matter, the Inquirer now thinks that the MMDA should reverse itself and cease and desist the use of pink.

The Inquirer Editors' rationale?

“Pink is a color commonly associated with femininity. Thus, a baby girl wears pink, a boy, blue. Soft pinks are associated with romance and the blush of a young woman’s cheeks.”

It blathers on about ribbons, breast cancer, and the pink triangle as a marker for GLBTs. In closing, the editorial argues against the color, “not only mar[ring] the city’s landscape but also violat[ing] local and international regulations on signs and signals. We agree. If compliance and discipline is the objective, why not use a more assertive color like blue?”

Color, and its power of persuasion, dear editors, is in the eye of the beholder. I fail to see the direct connection between civic and legal compliance by Filipinos and local or international color schemes. Let me edit myself: I fail to see Filipinos complying with Bawal Umihi Dito (No Pissing Here), the Ten Commandments, and less divine regulations, laws, presidential decrees, rules on decency, morality, and mea culpa, brevity.

But you, dear male editors, may be color blind, making your black and white assessment so easy to make. I, for one, am bemused but thrilled by BF’s work and his colorful attitude. I have heard many stories about the Chair’s behavior and off-color remarks during meetings, and the impression that I get is that Bayani Fernando has a vision, unlike other so-called public servants. His vision is, as you put it, “compliance and discipline” and its execution is steeled in the same. The medium is the message, as they say in communications.

Political will, to all you primary-color minded morons, comes in all hues and saturations. And while red means stop and green means go (except when Makati Mayor "Joblackma" Binay has the lights blink yellow to—in a twist of logic—chromatically remind you who is in charge) there seems to be no precedent for the color pink. Chalk it up to an “Onli in da Pillipins” thing. Paint it any way you like, but judge on merit, and not on unrelated, sexist classification, or the grey non-issue of fences, or the festering (but, apparently relaxing) green of political envy. Bayani Fernanado has done more for Metro Manila than all the black, brown, and white mayors, congressmen, and barangay chairs in his jurisdiction, combined.

One man finally has the audacity to take a stand, both on a color and on a blushing topic like Filipinos’ lack of discipline when no one is watching, and all you can think about is homosexuals and nursery rhymes? Way to think, pink.

(Now, should he run for president? That's another story altogether.)

Related article:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20090105-181537/MMDA-chief-tickled-pink-by-fence-critics