Photos of the Gil Puyat Avenue signs in Makati City, which were changed to Gil Tulog Avenue, went viral online yesterday, July 25. Many people questioned whether the images were digitally altered or real. Upon learning that it was a marketing ploy by melatonin brand Wellspring, netizens aired their criticisms regarding the stunt.
Makati City Mayor Abby Binay released a statement this morning explaining that the request for a permit to change the street signs did not reach her office.
“The city officials who issued the permit should have exercised prudence. They should have been more thorough. They should have considered the confusion this could cause motorists and commuters,” said Binay.
The mayor added that the officials who permitted the change should have considered that it was disrespectful to the memory of the late Former Senate President Gil Puyat, after whom the street was named, as well as his family.
In a message to Rappler, Victor Puyat, the son of the late politician, expressed his disappointment over the situation.
“Our name is not to be violated for financial, political, or other reasons,” he wrote.
Binay has already ordered the signs to be taken down and apologized to the public as well as the Puyat family.
Apart from the signage change, the brand’s advertisement stunt also involved offering free jeepney rides throughout Makati using its Wellspring Sleepneys. The brand has yet to release a statement regarding the situation as of writing.
