Local actress Judy Ann Santos is in hot water (boiling, if I may say so) due to the backlash created by her Meralco infomercial. Though many people have voiced their opinion on the matter, I am still undecided, with many unanswered questions still lingering in my psyche. Here’s one of them: Should a commercial talent be held responsible for the product, service or idea she endorses?
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Meralco holds a virtual monopoly of the country’s power distribution and, with rates reportedly one of the highest in Asia, various sectors (most notably the government) are currently up in arms against its “unjust high charges”. A few days ago, an infomercial suddenly appeared on television with Judy Ann Santos explaining Meralco’s side on the system loss charges issue. It was immediately greeted by a barrage of criticism mostly from non-government
groups spearheading the current campaign against the power giant and, unsurprisingly, politicians. She was labeled a puppet, a paid talent tasked to sanitize Meralco’s image in the face of continuing public clamor for change.
Supporters call this unfair, saying that Judy Ann Santos was a mere talent in the infomercial and thus, shouldn’t be included in this issue. The real issue, they say, is Meralco and its unfair rates. I somehow agreed. Talking about the Church and religion does not automatically make one a saint, so how does being a spokesperson for an accused economic evil make her a sinner? Hmm.
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However, after some reflection, my opinion on the issue was shattered by the following questions: Where does social responsibility come in when endorsing a product or idea? Is money (talent fee) the only consideration in these endorsements? And if being a mere paid talent is Judy Ann’s defense, doesn’t the fact that she endorsed Meralco’s system loss policy mean that she approves of it as well. She may not have specifically said it in so many words but the fact that she lent her name, face and credibility to the idea by appearing in the ad is a stamp of approval in any language.
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Judy Ann Santos must now be regretting her decision to have accepted this infomercial. This is a far cry from the the soap, slimming tablet and cough medicine she currently endorses. True, Meralco's system loss charges is the real issue here but she may have inadvertently dipped her hands into the boiling broth by acting as spokesperson for the controversial topic. And with more militant groups joining the issue, I see no end in sight in the near future. She must face this head-on and let the public know where she truly stands. Her career and credibility may be at stake here.
How about you, how do you feel about this issue?
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