More room for mistakes for Sarah

Last Sunday in the Buzz  there was an item about Pop Princess Sarah Geronimo. Sarah was planning to move out from her parent's house to live on her own. Since her mother would not consent, the plan was thwarted or at least put on hold.

The report was linking Rayver Cruz as the possible reason for Sarah's attempt. She would like to have more private time for herself, and for Rayver whom she admitted sharing secrets with.

In the same report, Sarah's mother, Divine, was interviewed. She said Sarah should focus more on her career and avoid the things that might hinder her from achieving her dreams.

Personally, I think Sarah has already accomplished her dreams. It is just a matter of sustaining it by maintaining her tv appearances and the quality of her every performance.

I am one of those people who turn on the TV on Sundays in the hope of seeing and hearing Sarah sing.

In the recently conducted interview with Judy Ann Santos by a leading newspaper on why she stayed with ABS and on her new soap opera, Judy Ann was asked about Sarah and what she thinks of her. Judy Ann said that Sarah is an extremely shy girl, but she expressed her desire to be friends with Sarah.

For me, Sarah's bashfulness is a sign of humility which she exudes on TV.

Sarah also embodies the stereotype of an old and modern Filipina, which may explain why she is loved both by the young and the old. The bashfulness/humility she exudes on tv makes her a Maria Clara. But unlike a Maria Clara, she is not ashamed to sing and her voice carries with it the emotions that explain why she is called the Pop Princess.

When it was Sarah's turn to give her reaction to her mother's disapproval, her responses were indicative of a person who is torn between honoring her mother and following her heart.

That Sarah is moving out from her parents' home because of Rayver is maybe true. But I would like to believe that it is not the main reason.


On her own, away from her parents, Sarah may now do whatever she pleases: engage in telebabad until the wee hours of the morning, entertain guests and visitors, and party until she drops.

Indulging in these activities is a waste of time and money, but certainly something very tempting to consider doing especially if you have the luxury of money and youthfulness, like Sarah. A first hand experience of an event is far different from an experience deduced only from the mind. This explains the fact that there are people who are willing to pay thousands more to be in a concert hall or in front of the boxing ring although there is the comfort of watching it live on TV in a couch in the serenity of one's home.

Sarah has handled her showbiz responsibilities. She has sold-out concerts and block buster movies in her name. It does not come as a surprise to me now that Sarah would like to take charge of her life also.

The implications of her mother's words were that, Sarah has no discipline to take care of herself yet. Lest nanay Divine forgets, singing is also a discipline. Sarah would not have been this good if she has no discipline.

Nanay Divine also noticed that Sarah is already becoming interested in men. She is afraid that this newfound interest is distracting Sarah and causing her to lose focus in her career. But, nanay Divine, there is no indication that Sarah is a lesbian, and it is but normal for a lady who is not a lesbian to be interested n  handsome men. As to her career, Sarah has wowed millions of Filipinos and with it, earning millions after millions of pesos for herself and her family.

She deserves to be trusted and be given that opportunity to discover for herself how living a life in this world is really like.

Besides, as sure as the sun rises in the east, Sarah is soon moving out, actually or figuratively speaking. It is only a matter of time before she finally has the voice to tell her parents this, or the guts to finally show it in her actions. And I hope when Sarah finally does this, her parents will not take it against her as to say that lumalaki na ang ulo niya or she has lost the respect and gratitude that makes us Filipino unique. Her parents will save themselves and Sarah the heartache of this additional burden that usually comes with separation, if they let go of Sarah now.

And letting go of Sarah does not necessarily mean acquiring for her a condo or an apartment unit where she can live by herself. With her schedule and commitments, Sarah will find it hard to maintain at least the cleanliness and orderliness of her place. Letting go of Sarah requires them to trust her that she knows what she is doing and is responsible for them. Let her engage in telebabad until the wee hours of the morning, entertain guests and visitors, and party until she drops. If she misses an appointment or has negated her commitments because of partying and the like, let her experience the pain of being sanctioned.

These experiences will give her more depths and new perspectives in her interpretations of the songs she sings and will sing and the characters in the movies she will play. Also, because I think this is the only way for her to grow up, and because she must grow up.

In short, more room for mistakes for the Pop Princess.

Only in Wowowie

For decades, Eat Bulaga has reigned the noon time show in Philippine television. When Eat Bulaga transferred to GMA 7, ABS-CBN fumbled for a substitute. Among the substitute shows, they tried Magandang Tanghali Bayan. When it failed, ABS tried changing the hosts, etc...but it has never captured the Filipino audience the way Wowowee does with its Willie of Fortune segment.

Willie of Fortune is a game in Wowowee where six contestants, in three pairs, vie for a chance to win the jackpot involving large sums of money. A melody plays and the contestants name the title of the song. The first one to correctly identify the song title twice, or the contestant who can tell not only the title of the melody but can also sing the song with the correct lyrics moves on to the final round.

Before each pair starts to play, Willie "Poppie" Revillame, the host, introduce the contestants by letting them answer questions mostly about personal and professional life.

Like this afternoon, the second to the last male contestant was asked by Willie what he was doing for a living and who he was with. Red said he was a call center agent and he was with a male friend. When the "friend" was shown on TV and was asked to say something about the contestant, he bid Red good luck, and reminded him to do his best for "their" future without batting an eyelash.

Now the studio audience were all giggling and screaming and mocking them. But Red's friend was not a bit disturbed, embarrassed or ashamed. He seemed deaf to the audience reaction. When he was told to go on with what he was saying, Red's friend who turned out to be his lover for four years now, expressed his love and devotion to Red.

As to Red, he thanked his lover for all the love and support he received. Red also narrated that before he met his man, he was someone who had no direction in life. But now that he has found him, he finally understood the meaning of life and how it is to live.

Red also addressed his mother. He thanked her for loving and accepting Red and hoped, now that his mother knows the real "he" her mother's love for him will continue and even grow more deeply.

There was also this episode where the contestants where people who were married for forty years and more. There was a man who abandoned his wife for another woman, then abandoned that woman to come back to his wife. And the wife was still there waiting for him after all those years of heartbreak and despair.

There was also this old man who refused to admit an affair. Despite the many slips he made and the obvious but unconscious admission on his part during the interview with Willie, he still insisted that he loved only and only his wife.

Now, after the interview, each contestant is required to perform. He/she may sing, dance, or whatever talent he/she possesses. Since during the interview, the host and the contestants have established the fun, the sweet, the bittersweet and the weirdness of life, no body expects them to have a stunning performance. So, no matter how out of tune is the singing (which is usually the talent), people still love to see the performance.

Of course, there are bland interviews but great talent. There are also days of bland interviews and bland talent, or days that Willie's comments, especially when he insists that women should tolerate the infidelity of their man, take the luster out of the show. But the "bad" days are over compensated by the good ones.

That Filipinos love to sing is a given. That hundreds endure the long line and the hours of waiting to be auditioned to qualify as a contest for a shot at the money most can only dream of, is another given. But neither the singing nor the money involved make the audience around the world love to watch the show, especially the Willie of Fortune segment. Rather it is the wonder an audience derive from witnessing the unfolding of the persona of a true Filipino, the nobility and boldness of the human spirit and the universality of emotions of love, regret and longing.

The stories the Willie of Fortune contestants tell remind me to look at and examine if I had been too hard or too critical about myself.

I see in those contestants my reflection, my brothers', my sisters', my community of imperfect individuals', the soul and the face of my wounded Country. I see my cultural identity flashed before my eyes on prime time tv.

Only in Wowowee.