The Signs of the Times

It is a human act to put up signs. They are visuals that either direct, support, give advice or attract attention. If not for signs, how would one know the difference between a male's washroom from a female's. Companies and business establishments would spend millions just for print advertising. Huge billboards have been crowding over the city for the past months and usually, the bigger the billboard, the bigger the company being advertised on the board. Signs are everywhere. They are labels in a food container, traffic rules, even just simple public display of affection and gratitude from a winning politician. You can find them by the road side, inside jeepneys, hanging on fences, painted on walls, over bridges or on rooftops.

Signs are eveywhere.

While most signs are serious and direct-to-the-point, the signs that are funny (unwittingly or not) or creative are those that grab the reader's attention effectively. Imaginative slogans are those that are easily registered in memory. and Filipinos are imaginative artists.

From the big city to the simplicity of rural life, signs are as common as sunshine. In one town up south, beside the life size statue of the national hero Jose Rizal, an interesting sign is posted: Indi Paghalayan si Rizal (Do not hang your washed clothes on Rizal).

Written on a sari-sari store's facade, a simple instruction on how to call the storekeeper's attention: "Ring Door Bill Plis." Another barangay, responding to the local government's call to waste management, posts an instruction for all of the locals to follow: "Brgy. 20, Sigregation Section". Even a warehouse's gate was once seen painted with the sign: "Intrance".

But it is not always a "hard" reading to follow. Inside a jeepney, a drive paints the sign:"No Sleping" just to make sure his passengers don't "slep" too much so as to be unconscious of their security (Beware: Peck Pocket!).


Signs are very helpful and at least in this side of town, can be very entertaining too. For as long as you are in the Philippines, you really can't help but enjoy reading some of these signs. Whether or not they are followed really doesn't matter. In this part of the world, signs are there only for aesthetic purposes. We hardly follow them. We push even if it says "Pull". We smoke even if it says "No Smoking". We park even if it says "No Parking". We are definitely an interesting bunch of people.