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Culture > Et Cetera

Did Makati just change Gil Puyat to Gil Tulog Avenue?

We eventually found out what this was all about

Who wouldn’t do a double take after seeing this road sign? PHOTO FROM FEM GALPAO

Yesterday, a reader sent VISOR the above photo, which shows a street sign. Except the street name printed on the sign is strangely weird. Or weirdly strange, whatever you like.

Gil Tulog Avenue,” the sign declared. Obviously, we were expecting to read the name we had been accustomed to: Gil Puyat. “Is this the season of pranks?” we thought to ourselves.

The reader shared: “Hindi ko alam if namamalikmata ako dahil sa bagyo. Totoo ba ito or sobrang effort lang na mang-prank ng gumawa nito?”

“Weh?” we replied. “Totoo?”

“Yes, totoo,” she insisted. “Nakadikit talaga sa poste. I even searched Google when they changed it. Wala akong makitang result. I asked my coworkers if totoo. Wala din may alam sa kanila.”

Baka marketing ng something?” we said.

Pwede din,” she answered. “Or an elaborate prank.”

Ano kaya?” we pried. “Political? Wait…aren’t you pranking us?”

“I’m not pranking you,” she retorted. “Why would I do that? I simply found this weird so I sent the pic to you. Hopefully to confirm its authenticity.”

Still not convinced, we continued rummaging through our Messenger inbox, wishing to find a similar contribution. What do you know? After a dozen or so messages, we saw this:

Well, it’s funny. Or corny. That depends on your mood. PHOTO FROM ROBERT GONZAGA

Just like we had badgered the first sender, we were also determined to cross-examine the second sender. Same questions, same doubts.

He ultimately swore: “Walang halong biro yung sinend ko. Kahit check nyo pa yung mismong lugar.”

Because he’s a cool guy, we were able to cajole him into taking another photo of one more Gil Tulog street sign. Desiring to persuade us, he indulged our simple request: “Try ko po kung meron sa kabilang stoplight.”

After a couple of hours, he submitted this:

We admire the effort to mount this marketing gimmick. PHOTO FROM ROBERT GONZAGA

What could this be? Indeed, Google consistently drew blanks. Did the Makati LGU really replace the name to inspire more positivity among the people (after all, “tulog” sounds more relaxing than “puyat”)?

When all else failed, I asked my managing editor’s assistance in solving the puzzle. The resourceful researcher that he always is, he came back with a TikTok post. Checking the post, I discovered more confusion among netizens. Nobody seemed to know the answer.

Much later, someone said it: This is actually a marketing gimmick for a melatonin brand that sells supplements to supposedly aid users in sleeping well. Um, okay. I almost saw this coming.

More photos from perplexed readers. PHOTO FROM MARIEL ROSALES PEREZ
Maybe this marketing campaign has a bigger purpose. PHOTO FROM TIM SIMPAO

Fair enough. Nice way to get the public to talk about a product. However, at the risk of getting accused of being a killjoy, I feel that there’s something wrong about this. My main issue is that it messes with road signs that should be treated with utmost respect. What if there’s a foreign tourist (or even a Filipino) who is not familiar with the real street name and then loses his way just because he cannot see “Gil Puyat”? Granted, there’s a small line below “Gil Tulog” that says “formerly Gil Puyat,” but there are things you do not leave to chance when you’re panicking because you have no idea where the hell you are.

Of course, you could say: “Ang arte mo. Nasa Pilipinas ka, where nobody gives a shit about road signs.”

Well, if you’re thinking that, I’m glad that I don’t share your mindset. Maybe this marketing campaign exists to show us how callous our society has become about road signs. Time to respect them again.



Vernon B. Sarne

Vernon is the founder and editor-in-chief of VISOR. He has been an automotive journalist since July 1995. He became one by serendipity, walking into the office of a small publishing company and applying for a position he had no idea was for a local car magazine. God has watched over him throughout his humble journey. He writes the ‘Spoiler’ column.



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