It's been a while since I watched Sen. Lito Lapid share his concerns on the upcoming RH Bill debate and its preferred language of use. Sen. Lapid, only a high school graduate, proposed that the debate be observed with the use of the Filipino language or "Tagalog". On the other hand, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago - a UP ubermensch -insists on having the debate in English as she, according to her, is not fluent with "Tagalog". Weh?
Thinking about the matter raised a couple of questions in mind. And dismally, they weren't very reassuring. First...
The RH Bill.
Before everything else, from here on, when I say 'the church', I am referring to the decision-making body or organization and not to the spiritual Body of Christ - simply saying - the people in the Church with the exception of God. Furthermore, when I say "RH Bill", I am only referring to the provisions the church are against with.
I am saddened by the level of hypocrisy we have in this country. According to the World Bank, the Philippines is among the top ten countries where there is an increasing number of teenage mothers (3.6 million) and these statistics often translates to a higher incidence of poverty in the country. And this is even after the church's incessant pitch on natural family planning and family counselling. Clearly, something's not working.
The church likes to believe that we are still a nation of good values and strong Christian morals, but regretfully, this hasn't been the case for a very long time. For instance, yes we still have a full packed attendance in church every Sunday, but have you ever wondered where these people were the night before? Or do you have any idea what happens to this people right after mass? Even with the church closely looking over our shoulders like a vulture to a carcass, we still have an increasing rate of domestic violence, homosexuality, and priests involved in sex crimes. The Philippines has become a country of masked Christianity.
I think it is about time that this country and its church realize that its people have already evolved. The change, may it have been good or bad, is not what matters. What matters is that we are not the same people that we were during Rizal's time. With the advent of international mass media and the World Wide Web, the Maria Claras have become Belladonnas and we are just too proud to accept that reality. The church has become a Socratic optimist that its grandest mistake is its failure to see that the symptoms of degeneration and weakness have already become a full blown disease. Prevention and knowledge is a lie we tell to ourselves because we are too weak to face reality. And the only truth that remains is that now is the time of action.
The "Filipino" Congress
When the Chinese Congress convenes, they all speak Mandarin. When the Congress of France assembles, they speak in French. When the Mexican Congress deliberates on who to send to (or at least try to) kick Pacquiao's ass, guess what - they talk in Spanish. So what the fuck is wrong with using Tagalog in our own Congress?! These people who think they're too good for the language should be castrated and hanged dry in a flag pole while the "Lupang Hinirang" is playing on the background.
The Filipino Movie Industry
Let me rant a bit on this since our dear Sen. Lapid was once an action star. I have just watched a trailer of an entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival entitled "Panday 2". Weren't there already 7 "Panday" movies before? Don't get me wrong, I love "Panday". I practically grew up watching all the Panday movies with the late great FPJ. But aren't they (IMUS production) overdoing it? Can't anyone come up with new story lines with new heroes and stop recycling the classics? With "Panday 2" on the list of movies to be featured in the upcoming MMFF festival, I'll bet my balls there's going to be another "Mano Po" and "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" in production right now - predictably overrated.
In a related matter, I recently saw a production number performed in one of the noontime shows featuring a giant ball of feathers. At first I thought it was the child star's stuff toy (probably couldn't go stage without it), but then I realize it was actually one of the main cast of the new teleserye they were promoting entitled Iglot. Iglot tells the legend of the Unggiko - odd, funny and healing creatures that are pets of the human-birds Mulawin. The giant ball of feather is the Unggiko named Iglot. If this is an indication of the advancement we've had in the field of animatronics and special effects, then this is very disappointing news.
Iglot (left) 2011 and Gizmo (right) 1984
Gizmo from the Gremlins movie released in 1984 looked more realistic (not to mention cuter) compared to Iglot. E.T. released in 1982 featured a more true-to-life alien creature than Kokey who looked too rubber-y. Even with the recent release of the Philippine's first full length CG-Animated film RPG Metanoia, it is still incomparable to Dreamwork's Prince of Egypt much more to Warner Bros' The Matrix both released a decade ago.
E.T. (left) 1982 and Kokey (right) 1997 and remade in 2007
Moreover, when can we do away with the teleseryes? When can we make something more like CSI, or Smallville, or maybe even Friends? And must it be shown every freakin' day? There ought to be a rule on that. I think that our TV networks and movie producers are underestimating the attention span that we Filipinos have. Are these people afraid that if they feature their show only once a week, we'd forget about it the next week and move on to another one? If your show is good and it deserves a viewing, then even if you show it once a month, we will still be looking forward to every episode of it.
And another thing, I know we have a lot of good and talented veteran actors, but can't we find ourselves some fresh blood? Take for example, Christopher De Leon's role as Captain Barbell's arch nemesis in the TV series "Captain Barbell". I have no doubt that Christopher De Leon is a brilliant Actor. He has won the FAMAS Best Actor award five times. However, couldn't they find another actor, probably a younger one to play the role? Someone who'd actually look more convincing as a villain with the tight fitting costume?
However, I believe that this should be taken with cautious consideration as we tend to employ actors not because of his acting prowess but because of his face value. This is, I think, one of the problems we have in our movie industry - if some bloke has a bankable face; we immediately believe that he/she can act. Nevertheless, we should learn to expand our talents and not just import singers and athletes (by the way, singers should just remain singers and athletes should just be athletes, unless they can actually act). Our industry try always find a total performer when what we really want is just someone who can play a particular character - one movie at a time.
Furthermore, why is it that when Keanu Reeves, Scarlett Johansson, Uma Thurman start kicking Kung-Fu ass, it actually is believable? Why is it that when our actors do it, even those who actually know martial arts, it’s embarrassingly awkward on screen? Please help me understand this.
After everything that has been said, we can presently gauge where we are now as a nation. We have become too comfortable with what we have. From the RH Bill to the entertainment industry, we have settled down to mediocrity. We are too afraid of what the changes will do to us. We shy away from what is real and hide ourselves behind our former glory. We are not the same people anymore. We are close to becoming a blear shadow of Ninoy's Filipinos worth dying for. We need to learn to adapt with the ever changing trends. We must accept the fact that what could have worked 10 years ago will no longer work now. We pride ourselves with the so called "Filipino values", but in the end, is there really anything to be proud of?
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