"Inggit ka lang!"

"Asawa ko naman ito eh!"

"Mahal naman namin ang isa't isa eh. So anong masama doon?"

Apparently, these are the three classic responses to PDA couples caught redhanded. Thing is, one of two things would happen: either they heed it or they don't.

Just a few minutes ago, I encountered a blog post which put a little light on the PDA issue - something I'd call the other side of the coin. Allow me to quote some parts of this post:

dati nandidiri ako sa mga ganyan. Iniisip ko agad kapag may mga babaeng pumapayag na mkipaghalikan sa bf sa gitna ng madaming tao, malandi na xa agad, blah blah blah..

but then i realized, i was wrong.

it's not that gusto nilang mkipaglandian,
and it's not for fun either.

it's because wala silang pakealam kung ano pa man ang sabihin sa kanila ng ibang tao... as long as they have each other. as long as they're together.. and as long as they're not hurting anyone.

im not saying that other couples should also do that in public places..but my point is... we can't blame others for showing this kind of behavior.

i guess that's one thing to expect when you fall in love --- you can be surrounded by a sea of people, but still, feel that the one you love is the only person there.. : b l u s h :

Totoo nama't may basis yung argument ng sumulat. Niromanticize niya ang pagpi-PDA bilang isang act of devotion and submission, isang bagay na ikinatuwa at ikinainis ko. Kasi, by siding with this argument, feeling ko kino-compromise na natin ang decency and sobriety inside a relationship. Kung magiging leftist naman ako, ipagbabawal ko naman ang lahat ng halik at yakap kasi nakaka-eskandalo. Iyan naman yata ang hindi ko pa kayang gawin.

Ang PDA ay parang isang continuum. A scale of 1 to 10. Mayroong hiyang-hiyang hawakan ang kamay ni honeybunch, pero meron din namang kulang na lang ay ililis ang brief at panty at mag-bayuhan na. Totoo. I guess iyang 10th degree na iyan ang dapat ipagbawal kahit saan. Kung maaari nga ipahuli sa pulis for indecent exposure. Kasi, kahit na ang paghahalikan, o yakapan sa dilim ay isang interpersonal action, the mere fact that the couple situates it in public becomes not so interpersonal any longer.

Masakit sabihin pero karaniwang mga lalaki raw ang pasimuno ng mga PDA sprees. Kung isusuot ko ang aking mga lalaking lenses at sapatos, ganito ko siguro i-aargue kung bakit gustung-gusto kong laplapin si honeybunch sa gitna ng campus:

• Paki mo? Girlfriend ko naman siya eh!
• E gusto ko eh! Tingnan mo, sarap na sarap siya!
• Proud ako sa GF ko eh, kaya hinahalikan ko in public.
• Para malaman niyo na may GF na ako.

...at higit sa lahat...

"Para ipakitang mas magaling pa rin akong kumuha ng girlfriend. "

Sometimes, although hindi siya 100% generalizable, pinapasimunuan ng lalaki ang PDA kasi pride booster iyan eh. Media has built in us this thought na the more partners you have, the more sleek and suave you are. Na parang everything is just about ego, na talaga namang nakakainis. I'm a great nonconformist; and contrary to popular guy stereotypes, ako talaga yung tipo ng lalaki na hindi brash, at makikitaan ng dalawang girls na naka-flank sa akin (tulad nung Japanese guy sa Tokyo Drift). Minsan nga, sa pagiging nonconformist ko, tinatanong ko sarili ko: Lalaki pa ba ako?

I'm not saying na may identity crisis ako. Pero it's this individuality that really sets me apart. I hate guy egos because it's indicative of their insecurity. That doesn't mean, however, na magpaka-doormat na tayong lahat. No! It'll be the end of the world pag nagkataon. Hindi lang talaga ako kumporme sa mga ma-PDA na, well, mahalay.

The definition of 'mahalay' differs, actually. But I guess we agree (at least for Filipinos) that being 'mahalay' entails heavenly hands in heavenly places... you know what I mean.

Basta, I'm just fighting for decency and sobriety. Walang masama sa PDA. It's in the way it is expressed that things get complicated.