Tulfo Brothers on T3: Hecklers or Heroes?

       Many of us know that the Tulfo brothers are known for their tough and badass persona especially when it comes to criticizing and attacking corrupt bullies. I'm sure that some of us have already heard their straightforward and hard-hitting comments against people on television. The Tulfo brothers are what we call "big brothers" who stand up and speak up for people who are presumed weak to defend themselves; others refer to the brothers as modern day heroes. But when does one cross the line between speaking up and shaming another person?

       "T3", airing 12:30 pm on TV5 allows profane language from the three Tulfo brothers -- words like "tanga", "bobo", "inutil", and "walang kwenta" are heard from time to time. These words are not supposed to be used by a public figure or specifically, a media practitioner. This is also a violation of the KBP Broadcast code Article 27, Section 1 stating that "vulgar, obscene, or indecent language is prohibited". These banters are used by the brothers to "defend" helpless citizens who have been victims of all sorts of abuse. The brothers insult and challenge those who allegedly committed the wrongdoings. By only knowing one side of a story, the brothers play god and think they have the authority to reprimand the people on the other side. 

       The Tulfo brothers also fail to consider their audience. They have failed to think that children may also be watching their show. In an episode aired on July 24, 2014, a woman who was beaten up by an engineer was featured. Aside from describing the engineer as "napakababang uri ng lalaki" and "mas masahol pa sa ipis" (also a violation of Article 27, Section 3 stating that "name-calling and personal insults are prohibited") Raffy Tulfo challenged the engineer by saying "Alam mo kung gusto mo ng bugbugan, pagbibigyan naman kita kahit na mas bata ka sa akin eh. Gusto mo?” They also said foul words like "jumejebs" and to think that the show is airing at lunch time is just wrong. The said episode also showed pictures of the woman after she was beaten without censoring it which violates Article 6, Section 13 where "images that are gruesome, revolting, shocking, obscene, scandalous, or extremely disturbing or offensive, shall not be shown or described in graphic detail."

       Media is indispensable and a vehicle of information at the same time that holds ethical standards. As public figures, the Tulfo brothers should have known better than saying hard-hitting words and libelous comments on air; even if the person they are attacking did something bad.

The Tulfo brothers' program, "T3", is said to provide and strengthen public service but I say otherwise -- the show strengthens their "macho" image, declares their strength to beat some guy up, and boosts their familial ego.

2012-34875 (2)

Unfair Portrayal: the Controversial BIR Print Ad

            On March 2, 2014, a foul tax campaign advertisement by the Bureau of Internal Revenue appeared in a newspaper.

            In the half-paged print ad, it can be seen that a female doctor is riding piggyback on a female teacher. The ad also shows the income of the said doctor and teacher. The doctor named Marjorie Villena, earned P1, 075,080.52 and paid only P7, 424 in taxes while the teacher named Carina Santos, who earned P852, 169.48, paid P221, 694.23 in taxes. At the bottom of the ad is a message saying: "When you don’t pay your taxes, you’re a burden to those who do. Do your share. knowyourtaxes.ph."

            First, the print ad violated the Ads Standard Council Code of Ethics, Article 2 section 1 (b) where it stated that “advertisements should not be deceptive or mislead the public”. The said ad is misleading to the people who might see it because it will lead them to the conclusion that all doctors are tax cheats. “Let's say for example that there might be some truth to it, the presentation of the doctor is still unfair for it generalizes the whole population of doctors in our country.

           The ad created a negative image and employed stereotyping and shaming which is an ethical violation in advertising. If the BIR wanted to collect taxes, shaming and stereotyping is not the right way to do it especially that it is a government agency and it represents the Filipino people. It is ironic how something that should represent the Filipino people undermines its countrymen. The Bureau of Internal Revenue should have been more mindful on what they are trying to say rather than just creating a "publicity gimmick" for people to pay their taxes.

2012-34875 (1)

(Editor’s note: If the figures in the print ad were annual incomes, then doing some simple calculations will lead us to the assumed monthly income of Carina Santos, the school teacher,  at around P65,000 a month [annual income divided by 12+1 months]. Perhaps, BIR (or at least the creative geniuses behind this print ad) should also earn the ire of school teachers for misrepresenting a very basic fact about them.)