In the Philippines, 88% of Filipinas are harassed at least once in their lives, 58% of these abuses happen on the streets and 78% occur during daytime. This is partly because of a lack of legislation punishing sexual harassment in public places and partly due to misogynistic ignorance – with some believing that whistling and sexually-fueled “compliments” are macho, and others believing that being harassed is the woman’s fault.

The Philippine Commission on Women believes that women should be treated with respect regardless of religion, race, status, and sexuality. The Macho Choir campaign was launched with the objective of making the streets a safe space for all, especially women, by educating everyone that catcalling is harassment and speaking up against it is encouraged and necessary.

The radio spots and website give the campaign a nationwide and global reach, while the on-ground stickers zoned in on key locations in Metro Manila.

The idea behind the campaign launch was to use local nursery rhymes with updated anti-catcalling lyrics and sung by manly voices.

This use of nursery rhymes was driven by the insight that catcalling and other acts of sexual harassment are essentially juvenile behavior. As for the manly voices, the choice was guided by the desire to enforce the message that respecting women is what real macho men do. The thinking was utilizing a familiar song sung by relatable voices will hopefully be enough to break through and positively change catcallers’ behavior.

To complement the jingle’s local flavor, colorful and quirky artworks and typography that reflect the country’s lively streets were created. This visual style makes the campaign not just attention-grabbing, but also more relevant and resonant to our target market. All of these efforts were necessary, especially when delivering a message addressing an issue as important as sexual harassment.

The Philippine Commission on Women have been inundated by reports about sexual harassment from women for decades. Data from these reports and further research were provided by the PCW to help paint a bleak reality – catcalling is a real problem, and we need a real solution.

Macho Choir wasn’t created solely targeting men who are misogynistic in nature or simply ignorant. It’s also made to teach young impressionable boys about respect, and to educate women about their rights. It’s for everyone, because to eliminate this catcalling culture, everybody needs to do their part.

The approach was to launch in phases. First was through radio spots (jingles) because most perpetrators use radio and it can get widespread unfair attention for the campaign. Next was to have an online presence (website) and provide instant access to our message. Then last was to go on-ground (stickers) and be directly where the catcalling

Macho Choir was launched with 3 jingles inspired by local nursery rhymes updated with anti-catcalling lyrics. Together with the (KBP) and the Philippine Broadcast System (PBS), the jingles were aired in 722 radio stations nationwide.

The campaign website served as a hub for all downloadable media (mp3s, lyric videos, posters) and other informative materials to help spread the word. A Facebook page was also created for educational always-on content for massive reach.

After a couple of months, an on-ground stickering effort was initiated in key places in the metro (jeepney, and other public transport terminals). Stickers featuring the campaign’s quirky visuals and witty tone were placed in strategic locations. Short talks educating people about catcalling were also staged in public areas.

The radio and online component of the campaign had a nationwide scale, while the on-ground stickering effort focused on the busy streets where catcalling is most rampant.

After the campaign was launched, people started singing Macho Choir praises. Comments on the campaign’s Facebook and YouTube pages were overwhelmingly positive, with both men and women voicing their support for the campaign and calling for real action against sexual harassment.

On just the first month, the campaign already achieved 2 Million organic reach. The website averaged 2,500 daily views during the campaign’s peak. Several news outlets also picked up and covered the campaign. Impressed by the positive messaging, the KBP and SBP helped give Macho Choir radio jingles Php147 Million worth of free media.

While these numbers are impressive for a campaign with very limited budget, the most impactful result happened six months after the launch when Senate Bill 1326 or Safe Streets and Public Spaces Act was signed into law, finally penalizing catcalling or other forms of sexual harassment in public areas in the whole country.