Up close and personal with DOH's 'Dancing Asec.' Eric Tayag

If you regularly tune in to Philippine local television, chances are it won’t just be Korean sensation and rapper Psy you’ll see dancing to the behemoth hit “Gangnam Style.” You’ll also behold our local Health Assistant Secretary getting his groove on.

 

Asec. Eric Tayag is the Department of Health’s spokesperson. He's recently been a familiar figure on Philippine television and social media.  As 2013 draws near, he can be seen spearheading the campaign against fireworks for the New Year by dancing Psy's viral song.

 

As part of the DOH’s annual Iwas Paputok campaign, or A.P.I.R. (Aksyon Paputok Injury Reduction), Tayag has been leading the advocacy to discourage the use of firecrackers that Pinoys traditionally use to celebrate the new year.  

The DOH has particularly targeted children in its anti-firecracker campaign by visiting various schools, where Tayag has been documented as dancing the South Korean song.

 

According to DOH data, of the estimated 1,000 people in 2011 who had injuries due to firecrackers, around 28 percent were children 6 to 10 years old.

 

The DOH's serious thrust in trying to change the minds of the populace to shun fireworks is embodied in Tayag.

Get down with the Asec  

Tayag has been a prominent face in media, discussing the dangers of firecrackers, suggesting alternative ways to greet another year safely, emphasizing that fun can still be had through dancing sans the explosions.

 

Type Tayag’s name on the search bar of YouTube and a list of vidoes will quickly appear. Many of them contain footage of the assistant secretary dancing enthusiastically to songs such as Nicki Minaj's “Super Bass,” Maroon 5's “Moves Like Jagger,” and, of course, Psy's “Oppa Gangnam Style.”

 

GMA News Online on Saturday interviewed Tayag to find out more about the so-called “Dancing Asec.” 

 

As Assistant Secretary of the DOH, Tayag says he oversees four offices that are considered the “heart” of the DOH: The National Epidemiology Center (where Tayag was the Director, prior to his current position), the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the Health Emergency Management Staff, and the National Center for Health Promotion.

 

Because of this, Tayag admitted that his job as a spokesperson, on top of his other duties in the DOH, can be difficult.

 

“Mahirap maging spokesperson kasi you should be ready for any issues or topic. ‘Di pwedeng dengue lang ang alam [mong issue, or tungkol sa] paputok,” Tayag said.

 

“Sometimes they ask you about reproductive health, sin tax, and other issues on health. That’s why kailangan alam ko lahat halos lahat nangyayari sa DOH. Otherwise, I will not be effective as a spokesperson,” he added.

 

However, he said he has been able to get proper training in order to hold his own against the pressures of his occupation. In addition, he was also trained in the early ‘90s, when he started working for the DOH, in a special communications class at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) in the United States.

 

There, Tayag explained, he was taught many of the things he needed to know about communication and health. These experiences have helped hone his skills in reaching out to the masses to discuss often technical things about health.

 

“I was trained for it. I had to develop my skills. And with time I was able to gather experiences so that i was able to know yung mga intricacies ng communication, how to present yourself,” Tayag said.

 

As the years passed, Tayag said he has been able to gather more experience in order to do his job of communicating with people. Is it because of his training in communications that Tayag has taken to dancing to convey his message with a passion? Turns out the dancing was only for himself; the first time, at least.

First for fitness, now for a cause  

Tayag said that, during the early 2000s, he hadn't exactly been tipping the scales favorably. So when a famous gym chain opened near his home, he quickly enrolled and has since been keeping a good work out regimen with their help.

 

It was there that he discovered dance classes, and that they could also help keep him healthy. Since then, Tayag’s dancing has “morphed.” He now gets to have his cake and eat it, too.

 

“Nag-umpisa siya for my personal fitness, sumunod siya for entertainment (during conferences here and abroad)...And then nag-evolve siya, naging pang-campaign na namin,” Tayag said.

 

Of course, dancing for the DOH's campaigns are seen as a positive thing nowadays, because of Tayag’s rendition of the “Gangnam Style.” However, he said there was a reason why the colossal hit was the one used in his agency’s firecracker campaign. 

“News reached us na may ilalabas na paputok at ang pangalang ibibigay  ay ‘Gangnam,’ so inunahan namin ngayon. Kasi pag nadikit na yung ‘Gangnam’ sa paputok eh lalong marami nang gagamit ng paputok,” Tayag said.

 

“Sabi namin ‘Ay ikoconnect na namin itong `Gangnam' na ito sa sayaw’ at itatarget namin mga bata kasi mabilis sila matuto ng `Gangnam.' Ang idea namin pag nariinig yung `Gangnam', sayaw; pag narinig yung 'Gangnam', huwag gagamit ng paputok,” he continued.

Dancing can't save, only educate  

Tayag is fully aware that dancing cannot save children and older people from being hurt because of firecrackers. “My dancing will not solve the injuries from firecrackers,” he joked. “Tandaan ninyo: may magbebenta pa rin ng paputok, may bibili ng paputok, may gagamit ng paputok. Iyong `Gangnam' is only one way of giving out the message that there’s another way of celebrating the New Year, another way na you don’t have to use paputok.” 

 

The DOH has advocated for a nationwide fireworks ban because people tend to get injured as New Year's eve due to the prevalence of explosives and pyrotechnics. 

 

Tayag and the DOH however acknowledge that these bans can still be worked out because of the people who depend on the firecrackers industry for their livelihoods. Partial bans, or specific bans, can be accommodated, in defereance to those who depend on the firecracker industry. Even for other times of the year, other than New Year, where fireworks are commonly made use in: such as fiestas and parties.

 

Still, in the end, according to Tayag, the more we discourage the use of firecrackers, the better off in rewards we will have.

 

“Iyong paputok, walang contest iyon. Ang premyo mo `roon putol na daliri,” he said. – KDM, GMA News