‘Nothing wrong with Sexbomb Girls doing voter ed campaign’

There is nothing immoral about the Sexbomb Girls doing a voter education campaign, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Tuesday. In fact, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez stressed that the Sexbomb Girls' rendition of "Bilog na Hugis Itlog," has been very effective in educating the public on how to vote in the coming elections. The catchy tune, launched last Dec. 7, 2009, is GMA Network’s instructional jingle for the upcoming elections. Jimenez was disputing a statement by a Catholic bishop that the female dance group’s inclusion in efforts to educate voters is an "ominous" sign for the coming May 10 automated polls. "Walang problema kung may iba’t ibang grupo, tulad ng Sexbomb Girls, na gagawa ng initiatives for voter education. Walang imoral sa ganyang klase ng istilo sa pag-educate ng taumbayan," Jimenez told reporters. (There is no problem if groups, such as the Sexbomb Girls, will launch initiatives for voter education. There is nothing immoral in this way of educating Filipinos.) Jimenez was reacting to statements issued by Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz, who said that the participation of the female dance group in voter education is "a big bad omen" of the way the Comelec will handle the automated elections this coming May.

Coming to the defense of the Sexbomb Girls, Jimenez said public response to the group’s music video has been very good. "The response of the people is very good. Whenever they (the Sexbomb Girls) perform, the audience is singing along with them… This is an important thing in a voter education campaign, that what you said retains in people’s minds," he said in Filipino. Jimenez also reiterated that the Comelec has been doing roadshows and voting demonstrations around the country since August last year to teach people on how to vote using the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines. He added that since GMA Network’s initiative to produce the music video, other groups, especially those in the provinces, have proposed to the poll body ways in which they could also reach voters in their respective areas. - Andreo Calonzo/RSJ/KBK, GMANews.TV