Filipino Glee

There is nothing really to argue about Filipinos’ love for singing. Back in the old days, everyone knows what Minus-1 is (apart from the arithmetic). Karaoke was a hit. Expensive microphones that turn ordinary tv set into videooke has huge market for a nation where a third of its population is scavenging for food on a daily basis. Towering just about every slums that hoarded the streets of Manila are antennas. Television is not a luxurious commodity, but a basic necessity.

Why? Because this is entertainment we can afford. And more precisely because we are just good at it (Filipinos in general, ahem, I don’t sing). Before the nurses and healthcare providers became the biggest human export of the Philippines, there were the entertainers. Filipinos are well known for singing and dancing. And I guess this has benefited Filipinos a lot because these 2 are the most basic of talents, and so it is also the most widely accepted. When I was younger, I remember with my cousins sneaking a view of their neighbors from across the fence. A group of girls were rehearsing their dance. They were to be sent to Japan to be entertainers. The Japanese have their own local form of entertainers, the Geishas, which has even contributed to them historically, yet they still have room for Filipinos. That is how Filipinos are great in the performing arts.

The talent comes in various forms too. From genuinely legitimate bar singers, to exotic cultural club dancers, to local celebrity singers and bands, and even to the international classical broadway, you can always spot a Filipino talent.

I’m writing something like this because of the recent global fame of a young Filipina, Charice Pempengco. She stars in the 2nd season of the American musical tv series, Glee. I’d like to give the creators of the show a job well-done congratulations because they made the right decision in getting her, at least profit-wise. I saw some clips from the pilot episode of the show’s 2nd season, but I’ve yet to watch the whole episode. I’ve been watching the series way before it was a hype, so I’m not seeing it only because Charice is there. She really has the talent, but I beg to differ with Oprah saying “She’s the most talented girl in the world”. What I’m trying to say is that yes she can sing, but it’s overrated. There are plenty of other Filipino singers that have more pleasing voice, and deserve better public attention. Charice made it not only in the Philippines but in the United States as well, so it was natural for other local artists to envy her. It’s just sad (and a huge shame) that some people try to put her down.

I can’t believe I sound like a total freak showbiz guru.

But still, a lot of fellow Filipinos watch her closely. Perhaps to cover up a bit the global shame we so much have, Filipinos find delight in being in the international arena. We tried so hard to stitch the biggest national flag there is, to encourage the most couple simultaneously kissing, to put up the longest barbeque skewer, or to produce the biggest platter of pancit malabon, (which led me to think if there are other countries where pancit malabon is native). We are overjoyed if the Philippine bet in the Miss Universe ended up in the top 5, or whenever Pacman beats up every Mexican opponent he faced. Because of these, Filipinos are already proud. Don’t get me wrong because there is nothing really wrong with that. Of course, it is definitely something to be pleased about.

What I really have to emphasize is that these things will not get our country anywhere far from where we are now. We are blinded by a thick dense cloud of false hope. Our nation is currently well-beaten up, and there’s no amount in decibels of Charice’s fantastic vocals would slightly abate any of these bruises. We are currently dealing with the internationally-famed Hong Kong tourists hostage, the missing British woman, the Jueteng puzzle, the over population and birth control controversy, public funds going somewhere no one knows of, the luxurious GOCCs, the haunt for Lacson, Dacer case, the Morong 43, MILF and the bandits of the south, state separation of ARMM, Ombudsman impeachment, the Arroyo case, the Ampatuan trials, the squatter and relocation facility, typhoon victims from way back more than a year ago, the reliability and truthworthiness of our police, all the daily crimes in Manila, and even the question of who really won the Vice-President position last May?.

I’m not pretending to be some righteous, blameless citizen here, but I’d like to remind that we have real problems at hand, and these things need serious attention if we want to make a difference. The country is tired of waiting, and just by how the Filipino individual has abundance of pride, we lack in sincerity. This sincerity and earnestness should start from the top, from the government, and then you will see everything will be sweet, much sweeter than any known Filipino singer in the entire history.