THE Philippine edition of Playboy magazine may soon hit the newsstands. Besides spurring further competition in an already tight market, the publication’s entry into the Philippines may alter the way Filipina models charge fees for photo shoots.
Industry insiders raised the possibility of Playboy producing a local edition after an editor of a local men’s magazine resigned this week. Seeking to confirm this information, Nothing in Particular sent a text message to the said editor but has yet to receive a reply as of this writing.
Speculation regarding Playboy’s foray into the local market was heightened because the said editor, before resigning, asked colleagues who among Filipino writers would be best suited to write for the publication should the magazine decide to release a Philippine edition.
According to a source, among those considered was Pete Lacaba, a multi-awarded writer who, in the late nineties, would have been the editor in chief of Penthouse Magazine’s Philippine edition had negotiations between a local publisher and Penthouse USA pushed through. Penthouse is a rival of Playboy Magazine. According to Wikipedia, Playboy Enterprises, a company created to manage the magazine of the same name recently acquired Clubjenna Inc., the company behind clubjenna.com, the official website of adult entertainment actress, Jenna Jameson. With the acquisition, Playboy has become one of the United States largest producers of pornography, Wikipedia said.
Meanwhile, the same source said that Playboy’s local entry will change the way men’s magazine publishing is undertaken in the Philippines. Since the publication may pay for its models, especially those who agree to pose for its signature centerfold, local men’s magazines may be forced to enter into financial arrangements with models who make it to their covers.
Currently, models who are featured on the cover of any one of the two popular men’s magazines—both of which are local franchises of foreign publications—are not paid for their photo shoots since being featured in the magazine will boost their popularity further. Meanwhile, models who pose for the inside pages are paid a maximum of P2,500 (approximately $52) per shoot. The source did not give details regarding the publication date of Playboy’s local edition and the name of the cover model.