WATCH: Another lewd show at political event in Laguna

By: Maricar Cinco - 8 years ago

SAN PEDRO CITY—A candidate for mayor in this city in Laguna province is in hot water over a lewd performance by a sexy dance group at his proclamation rally.

The Inquirer recently got hold of a copy of a three-minute video clip showing part of the March 28 proclamation rally of Eugenio Ynion Jr., the village chief of San Antonio and a candidate for mayor under the Nationalist People’s Coalition.

The video showed a man wearing a shirt printed with “#akoatsiynion,” seated onstage, as five female dancers, wearing skimpy denim shorts and crop tops under white hoodies, surrounded him.

The video, given by a source who did not want to be identified for security reasons, did not have an audio but clearly showed the women dancing and hunching over. At one point, one of the women lifted the man’s shirt and pinched his nipples.

The woman then blindfolded the man and signaled for a gay man to come on stage and dance, pretending to be one of the female dancers.

This happened while Ynion and members of his slate were seated onstage. Also seen in the video was former Laguna Gov. Jeorge “ER” Ejercito, who is seeking reelection under the United Nationalist Alliance. Ejercito was invited as a guest to the proclamation rally.

Ynion, in a telephone interview, said the performance was something “we were not consulted about.”

“My wife and I vehemently abhor [the performance]. It was something we, too, did not like,” Ynion said.

He said he immediately gave the person in charge of the program a dressing down for squeezing the dance group into the proclamation rally. Ejercito, he said, was also unhappy about it.

Ynion believed the release of the video clip was meant to discredit him.

“It was not an evidence of corruption or of immorality,” he said. Sexy performances, he added, were something “out of my character.”

“I don’t even go to night clubs,” he said.

The use of women as entertainment in political events became an issue following a lewd show during the birthday celebration of Laguna Rep. Benjamin Agarao Jr. in October last year. It happened after the oath-taking of Liberal Party candidates, also held in Laguna.

“This was the second time we’ve heard of it,” said Leona Entena of the women’s group Gabriela-Southern Tagalog.

Entena, however, said Ynion’s involvement surprised her as her group had been invited by Ynion and his wife, Carissa, also in March, to conduct a seminar on violence against women.

“We condemn the use of ‘4Gs’ – guns, gold, goons and now, girls – in any way by any politician,” she said.