I’m excited to see the maiden issue of Philippine Edition of Playboy magazine. I heard the title will be launched on Wednesday (April 2) in Hotel Sofitel with two International Playmates as special guests. hmmm…
You see, I was never a big fan of FHM or Maxim. I only get to read an issue (okay, I just browse over the pages) whenever I’m in the barbershop. But Playboy is a different matter. For me, it’s nostalgia! It brings back boyhood memories much as owning that much-coveted 12-inch Voltes V mecha-robot. It taught us how to distinguish a cool tito from the boring ones by being chums with the uncle who let us peek at the loose and tattered pages of his back issues tucked under his beds. It opened our eyes that ‘playmates’ weren’t necessarily those we play bahay-bahayan with. It made us aware who Tetchie Agbayani was and permanently ingrained in our minds that little white headband she was wearing in those pictures. 
Just recently, while listening to that 80s track “Angel in a Centerfold,” my eight-year old daughter asked me what centerfold means. Why, when I was her age, I already knew what that meant! I patiently explained to her what it is and added that there are magazines where being a centerfold was way cooler than landing on a magazine cover itself. Of course, I had a specific title in mind but there was no need to go on further.
One of my favorite part in Playboy (at least, in the US Edition) is that little “where’s the Playboy bunny?” game they try to put on the covers. I had fun looking for those as much as the times I’ve spent on “I Spy,” “Where’s Waldo?” or with Larry Alcala’s ‘Slice of Life’ cartoons. All my high school buddies didn’t even know there’s such a thing and started to see Playboy covers in a whole new different light. I bet some of you don’t even know that ever existed until now. I hope they’d get to insert that little detail in the local edition and bring out that little boy in me. 
I’ve read that there won’t be any frontal nudity in the Philippine edition so as not to offend the sensibilities of the Catholic conservatives in the country (maybe a nip peep, says Beting Laygo Dolor, the mag’s chief editor in a recent interview). Still, I’m hoping that the title would be true to it’s promise and set itself apart from the existing “laddie” [little boy] magazines (Dolor says that’s what FHM & Maxim are called abroad).
I’m personally impressed that the editors actually owned up calling their mag a dad’s magazine. The ‘old dad’ tag has been a liability to the title with it’s declining circulation internationally overtaken by it’s “laddie” counterparts. It’s been observed that Playboy has become obsolete also largely because the internet abounds of more daring photos (and videos!) that are available for free. The poor sales even promted Playboy Australia to closed shop in 2000. Indeed, the prospects don’t look good for Playboy coming this late in the country. Still, I have high hopes for the title and I hope it doesn’t dissapoint.
Below is a Q&A conducted by ABS-CBN’s Ginger Conejero with Beting Dolor — editor-in-chief of Philippine Edition of Playboy Magazine (Philippine Edition). If he plays the cards right, the guy will be holding one the most admired jobs.
Q: What kind of journey was it like to bring Playboy to the Philippines?
A: It was very difficult, honestly. It began a little more than a year ago. There were already talks between other people. A foreigner based in Manila tried to get a franchise, so he got an editor who is a little bit known in the industry. And they were working on getting Playboy, but it did not push through. There were other attempts until finally, late last year, a young Filipino businessman was given the franchise. He, in turn, has started looking for an editorial team and my name came up. We talked and we went to Singapore, met with Americans from Playboy International. They liked the ideas I was proposing and here I am.
Q: This is the 25th international franchise, why did it take so long for the Philippines to sign for this?
A: I don’t know really. As far as back as 10, 11 years ago, I already heard that some local businessmen wanted to get the Playboy franchise. I know of at least one other businessman who applied for a franchise with a competitor of Playboy, Penthouse. That didn’t push through because it was too expensive at that time. But then Playboy is a winner worldwide so it would be hard to fail.
Q: What can people expect from Playboy Philippines? Can they expect the same things that Playboy is famous for internationally? Read the rest of this entry ?
