N.B. – This was published in Asian Correspondent (June 30, 11:30 a.m.) where I write a column (Philippine Fantasy).

Benigno Simeon Aquino III takes over as president of the Philippines today (June 30). As expected, Filipinos have high expectations that change would finally take place.

To send a clear message that he is different from his predecessor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo whose administration was tainted with numerous scandals and controversies, his media handlers this early decided to endear him to the public by promoting the moniker P.Noy. The latter is short for President Noynoy (Aquino’s nickname) and it could also be interpreted as a pun for “Pinoy” which is slang for male Filipino citizen (a female one is referred to as “Pinay”).

It remains to be seen whether the message of hope will be effectively conveyed to the people. At this point, one can only wish that Aquino’s message won’t be repetitive.

You’re not just stating the obvious if you end up repeating what you said. You might end up being defensive.

Then again, the message should be clear and clean. Aquino’s message could be just like a massage.

Taken somewhere in Malate, Manila (parts of which became notorious as a “red light” district in the past), the business owner saw the need to tell prospective clients that only a massage is given, nothing more (if you get what I mean).

Directness is indeed important, aside from good grammar. That the president of De La Salle University (DLSU), one of the top schools in the country, has been appointed secretary of the Department of Education gives some hope that, at the very least, the signs at the DepEnd would be more grammatical.

I took the picture below at La Salle Green Hills last June 10 when I gave a journalism seminar to selected teachers and administrative staff.

Except for the need to capitalize the letter O in “only,” I cannot find anything wrong with the sign which sends clearly the intended message during the strong typhoon which hit the Philippines in 2009.

Our other sign below, taken in a popular resort in Palawan, also sends a strong message even if it’s inverted.

Yes, people should learn how to read upside down.

Going back to Aquino’s message of hope, I think his anti-corruption campaign should be direct. People should not be made to read between the lines.

Analyze this sign I took at a university in Isabela where I conducted a summer workshop for its teachers last May 28.

What’s that again? Do you understand the call to action?

Fix the fixers? From what I know, you only fix equipment that are broken. It’s awkward to say that you want to fix a person. By the way, you should also know that another definition of fix is to “get even.” Is this what we want to do with fixers?

If you want to maintain the alliteration in the sign, the message should read: “Fight the fixers.”

Or if you want your message to somewhat rhyme, you might consider this: “Nix the fixers.” Then again, the word “nix” which means reject may be a bit hard to understand.

One could learn a thing or two about the directness of messages of traffic signs at the University of the Philippines (UP) where I currently teach. Of course, there are some weaknesses.

As regards the sign above, the phrase “construction work” would suffice so we could drop the “s” already. My preference, however, is to change the phrase to “ongoing construction.”

Of course, the message could be more effective if a specific timeframe were included. Up to when is the particular gate closed? The only thing the sign says is that the gate has been closed since June 10.

But even if specific times are indicated in the sign, one should not confuse motorists because of the wrong font size.

It would be better to make the font for “OPEN” smaller so that it doesn’t compete with the “NO ENTRY” warning. Besides, the times below has a smaller font and it’s not as if a motorist can read them from afar.

When I was in Indonesia, I noticed this sign at the departure area of the airport. Do you notice what’s wrong with this?

There’s nothing ungrammatical here, but the second sentence is unnecessary because it’s already stating the obvious. The green-minded would even think of other things that a passenger should “use” before boarding the plane.

In my last travel to Vietnam in 2008, I noticed this sign inside the store.

I wonder why the letter A is capitalized while the letter P is not. To the credit of the sign-maker, at least the word “stock” is used as a collective noun.

I don’t think the Vietnamese manufacturer should be blamed for the brand of cigarette it sells.

For those who don’t understand the Filipino language, “bastos” means indecent or uncouth. I therefore doubt if President Aquino would smoke this kind of cigarette.

Going back to the moniker P.Noy, the name really makes a difference promoting a good image. In this respect, the Aquino administration is on the right track.

I can’t say the same though for a community group that meant well in the past to organize a dance club. What’s the name of the group?

Yes, you’re cursed if you have a name that means “idiot.”

I guess that’s one of the many challenges of the Aquino administration: How do you avoid people from calling the President names like Abnoynoy (i.e., Abnoy is Filipino slang for abnormal). Of course, the practical answer there is to do well and fulfill the promise of meaningful change in the next six years.

That’s all for now. More funny signs next week!