For sure, you’ve seen the story of how a melatonin brand hijacked Gil Puyat street signs all over Makati and changed them to Gil Tulog. Predictably, it quickly became the talk of the town. The collective reaction of the public was one of surprise, then confusion, and finally, disgust.

When I wrote an article about this, my main beef was the fact that the campaign disrespected road signs, which, as you know, are treated like a joke in our country. Besides the safety implications of haphazardly altering road names, there is also the matter of violating the Local Government Code of the Philippines, which states in Section 13 that “the name of a local government unit or a public place, a street or a structure with historical, cultural, or ethnic significance shall not be changed, unless by a unanimous vote of the Sanggunian concerned and in consultation with the Philippine Historical Commission.”

After publishing the piece, however, I felt that I failed to call out the publicity campaign for an equally important matter, which was the dishonor that the campaign brought upon the name of Senator Gil Puyat. You see, the road which bears the name of the late politician has been a part of my life for as long as my memory allows me to recall things.

That road was a prominent part of my daily route in high school (1984-1988), when I regularly rode a jeepney from my residence in Baclaran to Malate Catholic School. The jeep had to take a U-turn on that road from F.B. Harrison. Back then, people unanimously called the street Buendia, its previous name, even though its name had been officially changed to Gil Puyat in 1982.

To be honest, I still mentally refer to the road as “Buendia.” For sentimental reasons, I never developed an affinity for “Gil Puyat.” I didn’t even bother to know who exactly the man was.

Until now.

Last night, after my article on the Gil Tulog marketing campaign (or prank, whatever you might consider it) had come out, I got a message from Noel Puyat, a grandson of Gil Puyat. Here is his letter:

Hello, Vernon. I just read your article regarding Gil Puyat Avenue being renamed as Gil Tulog Avenue for a melatonin campaign. Hoping you could identify the name of the product, the ad agency that conceptualized it, and if this was approved by the LGU. We plan to write them, and hopefully they can retract their campaign and return the proper signage.

My grandfather was a former Senate President and the Economic Czar of his generation. He was the youngest dean of the UP College of Business. He deserves more respect than that.

This, aside from the many rules for international motoring/motorists that they so whimsically disregarded, is just so wrong.

Thank you, sir.

This letter gave the street name a human side. Before this, I had always treated the name as a lifeless label for a popular road—no different from C5. The missive drove home the point that the names of our streets belong to real individuals with actual families and heirs.

In writing the Gil Tulog article, I didn’t bother to mention the brand behind the campaign. I didn’t see the point, especially as I disapproved of the idea of messing with traffic signs just to promote some sleeping pill.

But I agree with Noel. We have to expose those responsible for this. So, let’s do that.

The melatonin brand is Wellspring, and the ad agency (according to Noel) is Gigil.

The Puyat family, according to Noel, is filing an admin case with the Ad Standards Council. At this writing, Gigil is reportedly “denying it was them,” Noel told me.

Meanwhile, Makati Mayor Abby Binay released a statement earlier today disavowing knowledge of the marketing campaign. “Kung dumaan sa akin yan, rejected yan agad,” she said. Wushu Okay.

Anyway, may this episode teach us something about respect—respect for the importance of road signs in traffic safety, and respect for the honor of other people. Do this and you will surely sleep soundly at night. No more need for melatonin chorva.