Gabriela pickets distillery, calls for brandy boycott

Members of the women’s group Gabriela trooped to the Destileria Limtuaco office on EDSA in Balintawak yesterday morning and issued a "women’s advisory" against the liquor maker as they launched a nationwide boycott campaign against the Napoleon brandy for its "kinse años" ads.

Posters with the message "Napoloen Quince is Harmful and Degrading to Women and Children. Boycott!" were placed on the gates of the Destileria Limtuaco as members staged a picket.

The women said the firm refused to heed the order of the Advertising Board of the Philippines (AdBoard), which supported the call of the women’s group to pull out the billboards and radio commercials of the Napoleon’s 15-year-old brandy for having offensive and abusive content.

"Contrary to Destileria Limtuaco’s opinion that only Gabriela finds the ad offensive, we enjoin other women’s groups, church groups, and peoples organizations, as well as concerned individuals to speak out and boycott Napoleon Quince," said Gabriela president and former party list solon Liza Maza said.

Gabriela also said many men are likewise offended by the "Nakatikim ka na ba ng kinse años?" ads.

The group added that the liquor company "is actually insulting Filipino men if it believes that its ad would entice men to buy their product."

"For 20 years, Gabriela has been true to its advocacy in protecting women and children from abuse and exploitation. It is indeed a pity that the company has chosen to play tough and continue to be insensitive to women on Women’s Month no less," Maza said.

Destileria Limtuaco filed graft charges yesterday at the Ombudsman against Maza and Gabriela secretary general Cristina Palabay, saying both should be liable under the anti-graft law for having conspired to have the AdBoard order a pullout of the company’s billboards and posters.

This despite the fact that Maza is no longer a member of the House of Representatives following her resignation from party list Bayan Muna last year.

"As a result of false and malicious accusation, complainant suffered grave and irreparable injury when the ads were ordered pulled out by the AdBoard," the four-page complaint stated.

The company said Maza’s Feb.28 complaint to the board "manifested partiality, evident bad faith and gross inexcusable negligence."– With Delon Porcalla