Makati Mayor Abby Binay says request to change Gil Puyat Avenue signs for ad campaign did not reach her office

Makati Mayor Abby Binay said the request to replace Gil Puyat Avenue signs to “Gil Tulog Avenue” in the city did not reach her office, noting that it would have been easily rejected if it did.

In a statement posted on the city government’s Facebook page on Friday, July 26, the official said it's “unfortunate” that the permit request was not handed to her office. “Kung dumaan sa akin ‘yan, rejected ‘yan agad,” she emphasized.

According to Binay, the city officials who granted such permission “should have exercised prudence” and “should have been more thorough.”

“Dapat inisip ang kaguluhan na maaaring idulot sa mga motorista at komyuter,” she noted, “at dapat ay binigyang halaga ang respeto sa pamilya at sa alaala ni dating Senate President Gil Puyat.”

“I have already reprimanded these officials for this glaring oversight,” she noted.

Binay also apologized for what happened and said the signs are no longer there.

“Humihingi ako ng paumanhin sa ating mga kababayan at sa pamilya ni dating Senate President Puyat. These signs have been taken down on my instruction,” she said.

This comes after photos and videos of the new signs made the rounds on social media on Thursday, July 25. It was later found that it was for a marketing campaign for a supplement brand.

The move garnered mixed reactions from Internet users. While some joked about Gil Puyat Avenue finally getting a “much-needed rest,” others found it disrespectful to the late Senate President. There are also some who said it could cause confusion to motorists in the area.

Puyat served in the Senate from 1951 to 1973. He was Senate President for six years. He passed away in 1980.