John Mayer’s Anthem for Apathy

I wanted to write about John Mayer’s Waiting on the World to Change when I first heard it two months ago. A friend of mine sent me a copy of the song just recently thus reviving a previous commitment to write a short review.

Musically, the song has an undeniable hook, having a pop and gospel feel to it. First time I heard it on the car stereo, it immediately grabbed my attention. The melody is well-written and the guitar-playing is tight as usual, affirming Mayer’s status as one of the best instrumentalists around.

But the more interesting part of the song is the infusion of politics, something uncommon in Mayer’s previous albums. The song criticizes the war in Iraq, calls for sending the US troops back home, and slams the right-wing media that manipulates information to suit particular interests. The social-commentaries are commendable as far as mainstream music is concerned.

However, the very concept and theme of the song is its own downfall. Despite its liberal social commenataries, the song is sadly, an anthem for apathy.  

I’m not saying that Mayer should adhere to any defined political line or thinking. It’s just that the song tries to justify the prevalent apathy among young people who think they are powerless to change things. It is defeatist and promotes negativity among young people.

Mayer gives a lame excuse for not doing anything in the face of all the problems we encounter today. The song asks understanding from the listener, for the people who know what the problems are but are unable to take any action.

Me and all my friends, we’re all misunderstood/They say we stand for nothing, there’s no way we ever could/Now we see everything that’s going wrong, with the world and those who lead it/We just feel that we don’t have the means to rise above and beat it

And so Mayer and his friends merely end up “waiting on the world to change”. As he says, “It’s not that we don’t care, we just know that the fight ain’t fair”.

Of course the fight ain’t fair. Nobody said it would be. And the world wouldn’t be in such deep sh*t if the oppressors always played by the rules, if empire-builders and corporate giants played “fair”. And it is precisely because of these odds that inaction and apathy only reinforce what is already unfair.

Indifference brought about ignorance is understandable, but justified and conscious apathy just plain irritates me.

Mayer goes on to give a false reassurance that “One day this generation is gonna rule this population/So we keep on waiting, waiting on the world to change.”

Well, isn’t that just a bit too convenient? Oh, I’m sure some of the pluderers leading the nation today probably said the same thing when they were younger. (When I grow up, I wanna be president and help the nation…)

No, we are not powerless. Individually maybe, but not when we get organized and rise up conscious of our strenghs and aware of our inherent weaknesses. And that’s exactly what the Filipino youth are doing, in the Philippines all the way to North America. We’re arousing, organizing and mobilizing young poeple by the thousands.

We’re not just gonna surrender the initiative and make excuses for the limitations of this generation. We’re here precisely to overcome those limitations, while learning a thing or two from the lessons of previous generations.

The world can’t wait for change. We plan to hang around long enough to make it happen.

The “Bebot” debates

This is an interesting letter from some folks in the US. It deals with the socio-political implications of the Bebot Generation 2 video of the Black-eyed Peas. I hope to be able to post other comments and discussions on the video.

Open Letter re: “Bebot” Music Videos

Tuesday, August 22, 2006
2:09 PM

To Apl.de.Ap, Patricio Ginelsa/KidHeroes, and Xylophone Films:

We, the undersigned, would like to register our deep disappointment at the portrayal of Filipinas and other women in the new music videos for the Black Eyed Peas’ song, “Bebot.” We want to make it clear that we appreciate your efforts to bring Filipina/o Americans into the mainstream and applaud your support of the Little Manila of Stockton. However, as Filipina/o and Filipina/o American artists, academics, and community activists, we are utterly dismayed by the portrayal of hypersexualized Filipina “hoochie-mama” dancers, specifically in the Generation 2 version, the type of representation of women so unfortunately prevalent in today’s hip-hop and rap music videos. The depiction of the 1930s “dime dancers” was also cast in an unproblematized light, as these women seem to exist solely for the sexual pleasure of the manongs.

In general, we value Apl.de.Ap’s willingness to be so openly and richly Filipino, especially when there are other Filipina/o Americans in positions of visibility who do not do the same, and we appreciate the work that he has done with the folks at Xylophone Films; we like their previous video for “The Apl Song,” and we even like the fact that the Generation 1 version of “Bebot” attempts to provide a “history lesson” about some Filipino men in the 1930s. However, the  Generation 2 version truly misses the mark on accurate Filipina/o representation, for the following reasons:

1) The video uses three very limited stereotypes of Filipina women: the virgin, the whore, and the shrill mother. We find a double standard in the depiction of the virgin and whore figures, both of which are highly sexualized. Amidst the crowd of midriff-baring, skinny, light-skinned, peroxided Pinays some practically falling out of their halter tops – there
is the little sister played by Jasmine Trias, from whom big brother Apl is constantly fending off Pinoy “playas.” The overprotectiveness is strange considering his idealization of the bebot or “hot chick.” The mother character was also particularly troublesome, but for very different reasons.
She seems to play a dehumanized figure, the perpetual foreigner with her exaggerated accent, but on top of that, she is robbed of her femininity in her embarrassingly indelicate treatment of her son and his friends. She is not like a tough or strong mother, but almost like a coarse asexual mother,
and it is telling that she is the only female character in the video with a full figure.

2) We feel that these problematic female representations might have to do with the use of the word “Bebot.” We are of course not advocating that Apl change the title of his song, yet we are confused about why a song that has to do with pride in his ethnic/national identity would be titled “Bebot,” a word that suggests male ownership of the sexualized woman the “hot chick.” What does Filipino pride have to do with bebots? The song seems to be about immigrant experience yet the chorus says “ikaw ang aking bebot” (you are my hot chick). It is actually very disturbing that one’s ethnic/national identity is determined by one’s ownership of women. This system not only turns women into mere  symbols but it also excludes women from feeling the same kind of ethnic/national identity. It does not bring down just Filipinas; it brings down all women.

3) Given the unfortunate connection made in this video between Filipino pride and the sexualized female body both lyrically and visually, we can’t help but conclude that the video was created strictly for a heterosexual man’s pleasure. This straight, masculinist perspective is the link that we find between the Generation 1 and Generation 2 videos. The fact that the Pinoy men are surrounded by “hot chicks” both then and now makes this link plain. Yet such a portrayal not only obscures the “real” message about the Little Manila Foundation; it also reduces Pinoy men’s hopes, dreams, and
motivations to a single-minded pursuit of sex.

We do understand that Filipino America faces a persistent problem of invisibility in this country. Moreover, as the song is all in Tagalog (a fact that we love, by the way), you face an uphill battle in getting the song and music video(s) into  mainstream circulation. However, remedying the invisibility of Filipina/os in the United States should not come at the   cost of the dignity and self-respect of at least half the population of Filipino America. Before deciding to write this letter, we felt an incredible amount of ambivalence about speaking out on this issue because, on the one hand, we
recognized that this song and video are a milestone for  Filipina/os in mainstream media and American pop culture, but on the other hand, we were deeply disturbed by the  images of women the video propagates.

In the end we decided that we could not remain silent while seeing image after image of Pinays portrayed as hypersexual beings or as shrill, dehumanized, asexual mother-figures who embarrass their children with their overblown accents and coarseness. The Filipino American community is made up
of women with Filipino pride as well, yet there is little room in these videos for us to share this voice and this  commitment; instead, the message we get is that we are expected to stand aside and allow ourselves to be exploited for our sexuality while the men go about making their nationalist statements.

While this may sound quite harsh, we believe it is necessary to point out
“,1] ); //–>that such depictions make it seem as if you are selling out Filipina women for the sake of gaining mainstream popularity within the United States. Given the already horrific representations of Filipinas all over the world
as willing prostitutes, exotic dancers, or domestic servants who are available for sex with their employers, the representation of Pinays in these particular videos can only feed into such stereotypes. We also find it puzzling, given your apparent commitment to preserving the history and
dignity of Filipina/os in the United States, because we  assume that you also consider such stereotypes offensive to Filipino men as well as women.

Again, we want to reiterate our appreciation for the positive aspects of these videos the history lesson of the 1936  version, the commitment to community, and the effort to foster a larger awareness of Filipino America in the  mainstream but we ask for your honest attempt to offer more full-spectrum representations of both Filipino men and Filipina women, now and in the future. We would not be  writing this letter to you if we did not believe you could make it happen.

Respectfully,

Lucy Burns
Assistant Professor
Asian American Studies / World Arts and Cultures, UCLA

Fritzie De Mata
Independent scholar

Diana Halog
Undergraduate
UC Berkeley

Veronica Montes
Writer

Gladys Nubla
Doctoral student
English, UC Berkeley

Barbara Jane Reyes
Poet and author

Joanne L. Rondilla
Doctoral candidate
Ethnic Studies, UC Berkeley

Rolando B. Tolentino
Visiting Fellow, National University of Singapore
Associate Professor, University of the Philippines Film Institute

Benito Vergara
Asian American Studies / Anthropology, San Francisco State University

A tale of two cities

This is a story of two cities, and how I, for two days, shuttled from one to the other, hoping to accomplish personal and political stuff.

From Tuesday to Thursday last week, I went back and forth from the Manila City to Hall to the Makati City Hall, hoping to get my marriage license and at the same time, extend political support for beleaguered Makati Mayor Jojo Binay who was illegally suspended by the Arroyo administration.

While Binay was waging his fight for due process, Beng and I were coming to terms with the legal processes of getting married.

One of the things engaged couples soon learn about getting married is that it involves a ton of paper work. The list of documents to produce is mind-boggling especially for those who do not have the luxury of time (e.g. activists on the go). There’s your NSO certified birth certificate, your baptismal and confirmation certificates (if you’re planning a Catholic wedding), the so-called certificate of “singleness” (don’t know if that’s even grammatically correct) also known as the certificate of no-marriage which you get at the NSO, and then finally, the marriage license. Most of these require you to line up in government offices and pay a hefty amount of money for pieces of paper whose only distinction is that they have some sort of unique certification on them.

And off to Manila City Hall we went. With the help of some acquaintances. we were guided to the process. First we go to the civil registry, get the forms, fill them up, get other required documents, then go back to City Hall for processing. Couples are required to undergo a seminar on reproductive health with the City Health Department. Since our documents were not completed yet, we had to reschedule filing our papers.

Not bad since I did have to go to Makati City Hall because Mayor Binay had been suspended and it was time to show support for an ally in the anti-Arroyo movement. And so we arrived around noon in Makati. Outside the building, supporters were massing up and holding a program. Earlier that day, around 1000 police men surrounded the City Hall compound in a shock and awe fashion reminiscent of the invasion of Baghdad.

Despite the situation, people inside the Makati City Hall were apparently calm and going about their preparations as if there was no impending war outside. Binay’s children were there, offering people food and drinks, and just basically talking to the guests about the current situation and how they were exposed to such realities at a very young age. A day earlier, I talked to one of Binay’s son-in-law and all we discussed family life and having kids! The atmosphere seemed relaxed even in the face of a possible siege of the 21st floor.

Unlike the Manila City Hall, the Makati City Hall was an example of efficiency, where things seemed to run smoothly even in an actual crisis situation. In one part of the Manila City Hall, there were tables and chairs lined up in the corridors, not because they were gonna barricade the area, but because that’s were the employees held their office.

We went back to the Manila City Hall on Thursday, ready with our documents and prepared to wage our own little battle if need be, against bureaucratic red tape. To be fair to the city hall employees, things went smoothly. We got our forms, filed them then proceeded to a “seminar” for couples.

Yes, the seminar proved to be the highpoint of our stay in Manila. Beng asked if it was possible NOT to undergo the seminar since she’s a practicing physician anyways, and she herself gives these kinds of seminars to communities during her clinic days. Unfortunately, her request was denied. We were told that what we were going to attend was not just a “seminar” on reproductive health. There’s more to it than that.

And so we went to the City Health Department and seated ourselves near a TV. They were going to show a short film. I was curious of course, and looked around to see if they were selling snacks too. True enough, there was a vendor and Beng bought cashew nuts. So we were all set for the “film”, which turned out was about the “evils of abortion”. I’m not gonna get into any discussion on pro-life vs pro-choice, but I found the seminar laden with religious undertones. So much so that I began to wonder where the separation of church and state actually starts.

One couple during the open forum made the mistake of saying that they planned to use pills for contraception; a big no-no as far as Mayor Atienza is concerned. The honest answer elicited a frown on the face of the facilitator. The mayor of Manila has been at the forefront of the pro-life campaign.

The preferred family planning method of the Manila City Hall is the mucus method. You have to attend the seminar to find out what it means, though I think the concept is pretty self-explanatory, hehe.

After that one-hour session at the health department, we were all set to go to the civil registry where we would sign the papers under oath and well… get our marriage license in 10 days, which Beng also says is already a legally binding document. That kinda surprised me at that time because it’s like saying that we’re practically married.. and I wasn’t even in the right mindset. I was answering calls regarding the Makati stand-off and the farmers’ Lakbayan, and when i put down the phone, Beng and I were legally married?!

That was fast.

Beng and I went home happy that day. At least she did. I had to go back to Makati City Hall and get some updates first. The folks from Bayan Southern Tagalog had just left the City Hall grounds when I arrived. There was a lot of commotion going on in the 21st floor. Turns out, Mayor Binay had won Round 1 of his battle with Malacañang. Word got around that a temporary restraining order has been secured from the Court of Appeals. Everyone was happy.

I again got to talk to Binay’s children and I told them what da heck I was doing the whole day. They were laughing inside the library.

They asked me why I didn’t just apply for a marriage license in Makati.

Why not indeed?

Getting down with Smackdown in the Philippines

I blame Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for my not being able to watch the first World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) show in Araneta last February 2006. The RAW tour of Jonh Cena and company happened a day after Mrs. Arroyo declared a state of national emergency and ordered a crackdown on Arroyo critics. I was supposed to babysit some kids, and thereby get a free ticket to watch the first ever WWE match in the country. Dire circumstances prevented me from going with the kids that Saturday afternoon in Araneta.

Months passed before the next opportunity for wrestling entertainment came to the Philippines. This time it would be the Smackdown label that’s coming to Manila. The main highlight of the tour was Batista, an American wrestler of Filipino and Greek ancestry. The Survivor Series was coming to town.

The kids and I got to the Araneta collesium at around 4:30pm. Wrestling fever was in the air, even at the front entrance. Even the security people were huge, as in really huge like the Big Boss Man of the 90’s.

Several people, including the cops assigned to the security, asked me if there was going to be any rally that day (yup I get asked that often). I told them the only placards they’ll be seeing inside Araneta are the ones from wrestling fans.

There was so much wrestling paraphernalia going around as part of the promotional blitzkreig from the organizers. I learned for example, that a replica championship belt costs around P800-900, a small wristband P200, and a souvenir program with glossy photos P500. I did not bother to ask how much the T-shirts cost, though I noticed that the Degeneration X shirt seemed to be popular among the younger fans.

Some Filipino fans do come dressed up for a wrestling match. I swear I saw two guys dressed as WWE champ John Cena, complete with big shorts, high-cut rubber shoes, camouflaged shirt and bull-cap.

I got particularly irked at the whole concept of “reserved seats” at the upper box. There’s really no reserved seating in the upper box, only people who kept insisting that the seats beside them were “reserved” for some people. But some people take these “reservations” a bit too far. Take for example this mom, dad, and their kid, who said that they were “reserving” three rows good for more than 20 people. WTF was that? There were just three of them there and they get to reserve three freakin’ rows?! That’s just damn unfair for people who came early and couldn’t get a seat.

The fans couldn’t contain their excitement when the first match started. They applauded every armlock, reverse maneuver and drop kick from tag team champs Paul London and Brian Kendrick. The interesting thing with wrestling is the whole concept of “good vs. evil”. Pinoy fans would applaud every little move that the “good guys” do and would heckle everything the “bad guys” do. The wrestling characters are well established and they play out their roles either as heroes or heels.

At every point in the match, a chorous of chants would be heard from fans egging on their favorite wrestlers. I got goosebumps from hearing the cheers that sounded like the New York Yankees chants.

The best kontrabida wrestlers are the ones who have mastered the art of whipping the crowd into a murderous frenzy just by insulting them. Take for example the colorful and boisterous Mr. Kennedy who managed to elicit hateful reactions from the audience by repeatedly insulting homegrown boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. Or King Booker, the hip-hop wrestler turned “British royalty”, who addressed the audience as “peasants”.

I mean, even for most people (with the exception of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo perhaps), making everyone hate you is kinda hard to accomplish.

Hands-down the best entrance for that night came from the phenom the Undertaker. The lights were turned off, cellphones everywhere were lit, a spotlight was aimed at the wrestling giant and the eerie funeral soundtrack filled the entire collesium. The crowd relished every moment the Undertaker whipped Mr. Kennedy’s ass. From the arm twists while walking on the top rope, the signature choke slam up to the finishing tombstone move, the crowd cheered on one of the most recognizable icons in sports entertainment.

Other highlights of the night came from Bobby Lashley who made short work of William Regal; the Irishman, Finley who got the better of crowd-favorite Matt Hardy, the Rabid Wolverine Chris Benoit doing the cross-face on Chavo Guerrero, and of course, the cross-dressing Italian, Vito who wore thongs and scared the heck out of The Miz.

The most anticipated match-up that night was between “our very own” Batista (doesn’t that fill you with goosebumps too?) and reigning World Heavyweight champ King Booker. At the onset, my high school friends and I doubted that the title would change hands here in the Philippines. Stuff like that is reserved for big productions back in the States. Batista can’t win the championship but he can’t lose the match either because that would just upset the fans. So we thought that the likely outcome would be Batista would win via disqualification, that way the fans would stay happy even if the title doesn’t change hands. (You can only win the title via pin-fall or submission, not through disqualification).

The thing with wrestling is some of the storylines and outcomes are flat-out predictable. Watch WWE for even half a year and you’d know how things work. There’s always a basic stroyline.

We were right though about Batista. He won via disqualification. The match ended with several other wrestlers going at it in the ring. What was surprising was that in the end, it was the Undertaker who came to Batista’s rescue (a move that was so far out from the usual storylines, yet was a crowd-pleaser just the same).

Wrestling appeals to a lot of people, even to the teenage girls who were seated in front of us, for a number of reasons. There are universal themes which anyone could indentify with easily; good and evil, right or wrong, family, friendship, loyalty etc.

But not all the themes are neutral and “harmless”. In the past, entertainment wrestling, especially of the mega-corporate kind, has been used to whip up ultra-nationalism in the United States.

In the 80’s, the then WWF used the themes of the Cold War and conflicts in the Middle East as part of the story lines, with characters such as Sgt. Slaughter, the Iron Shiek and of course, the epitome of Americanism, Hulk Hogan representing parties in the conflict. In the post 9-11 era, the WWE employed characters of Arabic descent and turned them into objects of audience hate, further reinforcing racial profiling that has become part of the so-called war on terror. At the time France voted against going to war in Iraq, there were “French” tag-team wrestlers too who were part of the “bad guys”.

Current WWE champion John Cena’s character has completed the transition from neighborhood toughie to “patriot” and “soldier”, kinda like all those poor young American boys from the ‘hood who are now joining the Army only to be sent to Iraq.

Coincidence? I don’t think so. The writers at WWE know their current events and base their storylines on what they think are popular themes for the people, be it the Cold War, the Gulf War, the “war on terror”, immigration, drugs and other social issues.

“Yes, this is entertainment”, as the tag line goes, but the subliminal messages are more real than you think.

Start welcoming the Black Parade

So I finally got to see the new My Chemical Romance video for the song Welcome to  the Black Parade. For two weeks now, a friend of mine has been urging me to check out the video, kinda hyping it in a way, and raising expectations in the process. My friend described the new song as a combination of “emo and hardcore”, dealing with an all-too familiar topic in MCR songs – death.

I can’t quite figure out the band’s seeming obsession with death (Helena, Ghost of You) but the latest video simply outshines their previous outings (yes, even the one with the invasion of Normandy scene). The music and vocals in the particular track may be less melodic and powerful than their last hits (and I in particular miss the strength of the vocals of Gerard Way and Frank Lero) but no doubt the video is great. On first listening, some guitar riffs were reminiscent of Brian May, perhaps confirming a recent announcement of the band that the new album would contain some elements from Queen. And oh yeah, the inverted mic stand in the video is a signature move of the late Freddie Mercury.

As has been written in many posts, the video talks about The Patient and his meeting with death, which came in the form of a Black Parade. In the video, Death did not appear as frightening as one would usually expect it to be – since everyone isn’t expecting death to be coming in the form of a parade, confetti, a band on a float, and funeral marchers, all dressed in black. The real coup was the outfit of the band members, a cross between a marching band uniform and a Halloween costume. And oh yeah, the hair of vocalist Gerard Way is way too cool (pardon the pun). He got it bleached blonde, and its way shorter.

Still want to find out though why MCR is so obsessed with the subject of death. I don’t know if they have stared at death the way we have.

The album’s release date is scheduled on October 24. Definitely worth checking out.

Lyrics to My Chemical Romance Welcome To The Black Parade
When I was a young boy,
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band.
He said,
“Son when you grow up, will you be the saviour of the broken,
The beaten and the damned?”
He said
“Will you defeat them, your demons, and all the non believers, the plans that they have made?”
Because one day I leave you,
A phantom to lead you in the summer,
To join the black parade.”

When I was a young boy,
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band.
He said,
“Son when you grow up, will you be the saviour of the broken,
The beaten and the damned?”

Sometimes I get the feeling she’s watching over me.
And other times I feel like I should go. Through it all, the rise and fall, the bodies in the streets.
When you’re gone we want you all to know We’ll Carry on,
We’ll Carry on
Though your dead and gone believe me Your memory will carry on
Carry on
We’ll carry on
And in my heart I cant contain it
The anthem wont explain it.

And we will send you reeling from decimated dreams
Your misery and hate will kill us all
So paint it black and take it back
Lets shout it loud and clear
Do you fight it to the end
We hear the call to
To carry on
We’ll carry on
Though your dead and gone believe me Your memory will carry on
We’ll carry on
And though you’re broken and defeated You’re weary widow marches on

And on we carry through the fears
Ooh oh ohhhh
Disappointed faces of your peers Ooh oh ohhhh
Take a look at me cause
I could not care at all Do or die
You’ll never make me
Cause the world, will never take my heart
You can try, you’ll never break me
Want it all,
I’m gonna play this part
Wont explain or say i’m sorry
I’m not ashamed,
I’m gonna show my scar
You’re the chair, for all the broken Listen here, because it’s only..
I’m just a man,
I’m not a hero
Just a boy, who’s meant to sing this song
Just a man,
I’m not a hero
I — don’t — care
Carry on
We’ll carry on
Though your dead and gone believe me Your memory will carry on
We’ll carry on
And though you’re broken and defeated You’re weary widow marches on
We’ll carry on
We’ll carry on
We’ll carry on
We’ll carry
We’ll carry on

New York, North Korea, and the sum of all fears

Leave it to TV news to find a tenuous link between the New York plane crash, the North Korean nuclear testing and terror attacks in the Philippines.

When news of the New York plane crash that killed New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle reached the Philippines, there was speculation on the possibility of another terrorist attack similar to 9-11. After all, the events at the World Trade Center are still fresh in the minds of many people.

The New York plane crash was ruled an accident and had absolutely nothing to do with terrorism, despite visual similarities with the 9-11 attacks.

But somehow, the event was used by some enterprising news programs to invoke public fear of another terrorist attack. How?

We have our favorite US ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney to thank for. In an interview on national TV, juxtaposed with the backdrop of a smoking Manhattan building and the death of a major league baseball player, Kenney reminds us that terrorism can strike anywhere. Yes, even in the Philippines.

Not content with the super stretch-of-the-imagination segue from Manhattan to domestic terrorism, Kenney goes on to warn us of the potential dangers of the recent North Korean nuclear testing. According to her, ONE nuclear warhead in the hands of a “rogue state” can pose serious threats to Asia.

Great. Thank goodness most of the world’s nuclear weapons are concentrated in the US. We sure are lucky that the world’s number one superpower possesses around 6,500 active nuclear warheads, on top of 1,100 tactical nuclear weapons. We can all feel safe knowing that the US is the only country in the world to ever actually use nuclear weapons on civilians — not once but twice! And yes, the US is at the forefront of nuclear testing, including potentially hazardous atmospheric detonation.

Truly, the US diatribe and proposed sanctions against North Korea is the ultimate hypocrisy. It’s like having a junkie teach teenagers about the hazards of substance abuse. Or Gen. Palparan teaching vigilante groups to respect human rights.

While many are probably aghast at the nuclear test conducted by North Korea, we should at least try to understand the incident within the context of US-Korea relations over the past 50 years. These include the Korean War, the death of 4 million Koreans, the division of Korea, inhuman economic blockades, military encirclement, and constant provocation and threats at the 38th parallel.

The leaders of North Korea probably believe that the only deterrent to all-out US aggression would be acquiring nuclear capability.

One would probably ask, wouldn’t the presence of nuclear weapons in North Korea be used to justify a US invasion? After all, weren’t Saddam’s nuclear weapons the reason why the US invaded Iraq?

Ah, but there lies the main difference. The US successfully invaded Iraq on the pretext of nuclear weapons that were not really there to begin with. It’s an altogether different situation in North Korea which DOES have nukes. The US will probably think twice now.

So who’s terrorizing who? The North Koreans with their nuclear testing? Or the US with its penchant for invading countries that don’t agree with its foreign policy?

A peaceful solution to the standoff can be reached only if the US backs off.

isang bandila, madaming problema

ABS-CBN attempted to do something new with their news program Bandila. They got veteran rockers Rivermaya to do the theme of the newscast with a song appropriately titled Isang Bandila. The late evening Bandila is probably the only news cast in the world with a rock anthem for its theme.

The people in ABS-CBN went into aggressive promotions by coming out with a music video for Isang Bandila (the song) which would compliment and promote Bandila (the news program).

Or at least that’s what I think they’re doing with the release of the Isang Bandila music video two weeks ago. The video airs occasionally on both ABS-CBN Ch2 and on ANC.

Those who have seen the video and heard the song are familiar with the drill. The setting is a news room. The band members act out the roles of news reporters and anchors. The band rocks the news room.

Musically, there is no question on how tight the Bandila theme is. It is a rock anthem pure and simple. It promotes patriotism, or at least the kind that we grew up with and learned in school (isang ugat, isang dugo, isang tadhana, isang bandila etc).

Both the newscast and the soundtrack use the Philippine flag as the symbol that is supposed to remind the people of the need for national unity especially amidst these difficult times. We could assume that song-writer Rico Blanco was sincere in his effort to tackle a huge subject such as national unity. However, the lyrics just don’t go beyond what is obviously text book nationalism. Don’t’ get me wrong. I think the song rocks. Pero medyo mababaw lang kung tutuusin, though there may be some otherwise brilliant lines such as “ligtas ang pag-asang nakasakay sa ‘ting mga likod at balikat”.

The song makes references to the talangka mentality, fake heroes, fake standpoints and goes on to ask the listener, “subukan naman nating pagtulong-tulungan.”

Haay, don’t we all wish our problems were just that simple?

But they’re not. And that is where the Bandila theme suffers. It took on a serious subject only to scratch the surface and remain confined to the clichés about nation-building, almost being preachy in its attempt to call for national unity.

The limitations of the soundtrack are eventually reflected in the music video. For a news cast that claims to be critical rather than sensational, the music video appeared more of a spoof rather than a serious take on the news. It was an attempt at social commentary but one that doesn’t take itself seriously to begin with. I do not understand how this will help audiences take the Bandila newscast seriously too.

The video doesn’t enhance the credibility of the news program, nor does it arouse at least some curiosity for the news. The video tries too hard to hit some social issues but is hampered by a very loose understanding of existing social realities.

In the video, we are given an educational tour inside a news room (switchboards, studios, cameras, radio booth, OB van etc). Rivermaya does its own news cast called The Maya Report. A gruff-looking Rico Blanco is the anchor. Other band mates do stand-uppers and even the weather report. The band plays in various parts of the ABS-CBN compound.

The video did not utilize the tons of material available showing how news is gathered, analyzed and presented to the audience. It does not show the sacrifices and sometimes heroism of journalists who work in the line of fire. It ignored the pressing issues confronting Philippine society today, such as the question of legitimacy, repression and poverty. I felt that they should have at least shown the major events that shaped and rocked Philippine society over the last year and a half. What we got instead were band members trying on the job of reporters and anchors.

The news parody gives us mundane clips like “Kilabot ng 5110, nahuli na!”. WTF were they thinking?! Rico Blanco the “news anchor” gives the parting shot for the Maya Report with the char-gen that reads “Paglingkuran ang sambayanan.” That would have been a perfect ending except that his delivery looked so contrived.

Towards the end of the video, I was getting more and more frustrated.

This comment is not however intended to discourage Rivermaya from pursuing socially-relevant song-writing in their future outings. But if they want to be effective, they should start looking at the issues and conflicts from a deeper perspective. Poverty, human rights violations and foreign intervention aren’t abstract concepts. They’re everyday reality for most people.

Ultimately, as artists, the band has to make a stand, take a side. That’s what the Clash, U2, RATM, Dylan, Marley, Asin and legends like them did. As we all learned in School of Rock, rock n’ roll is all about sticking it to the Man. Or in our country’s case, that particular Woman.

Listening List

I hope to write a longer piece on some interesting artists and bands that I’ve come across lately, thanks to a good friend.

Some of the more interesting acts I’ve come across the past month were Esthero (pronounced Es-there-o), Kate Earl, Kaki King and just last week, the new album from Mars Volta.

 

Kate Earl hails from Alaska from a Filipino immigrant mom and a Dutch-Welsh truck driver dad. She grew up in a gas station then moved to LA. She plays the piano and guitar. If you like Fiona Apple, Sarah Maclachlan and Norah Jones, Kate Earl would be a refreshing voice on you CD/MP3 player. (I know artists just don’t want to be compared, yet it seems to be the easiest way to have some initial point of reference in appreciating their music.) Some interesting tracks to check out are Officer (I’m not drunk, i wanna go home officer…), Free (which reminds me Sarah Mac’s Angel), Cry Sometimes, When your older, and Sweet 16.

The very petite Kaki King on the other hand is a young guitar virtuouso. She doesn’t sing much but boy can she play that guitar, and not in the way we’re used to seeing a guitar played. After watching her performance, everything I knew about the guitar just flew out the window. She uses different tunings, lots of harmonics and presses the strings in an inverted kinda way. (You have to see her on youtube to see what inverted means). What I found most interesting is how she would use the guitar as a percussion instrument in ways I hadn’t thought possible. She would constantly tap the guitar as if it were a pair of bonggos, tap the fret board for harmonics, then go on creating something that sounds so simple yet unbelievable. She has gone way beyond the six-string, standard-tuning guitar playing and opened so many creative possibilities for such a simple instrument. Check out the tracks “Playing with pink noise” and “Close your eyes and you’ll burst into flames”. These two tracks can also be viewed on youtube.

Esthero is Jen-Bea Englishman, a Canadian-born singer-songwriter now based in LA. Her music is a fusion of jazz (nice horn section), hip-hop and trip-hop. (Again, hard and fast categories and comparisons suck, but these are all just for initial reference.) Esthero has very strong stage presence and can carry tunes exceptionally well, whether full-band or stripped-down acoustic. She has been compared to Bjork and Portishead (check out the track Country Livin’ too see what i mean. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIFwzOr_Fro) What made me like Esthero was not just her kind of music but her in-your-face lyrics that doesn’t give a rat’s a** what other overly-sensitive people might think. She’s very honest, I’ll give her that.=)

In the song “We are in need of a musical revolution”, she says she’s so “sick and tired of the sh*t on the radio and MTV”, and everywhere she goes she sees Ashanti and Brittney on the video screen. At the end of the song, she gives an indictment of the music industry and asks why “A grown man can rape a little girl, but we still hear his sh*t on the radio/A grown-ass man can videotape a little girl but we still see his mug on the video screen/I want something more!” (check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzGsDZ-Hpyo.)

Then there’s the song If tha Mood about a girl who broke up with her boyfriend but tells him that if he ever feels the urge to get it on with her, she’s available. (If tha mood should hit ya and ya wanna, baby I don’t mind.) Yes the message is lewd and screwed up by many standards, but it’s still cool listening. (See her perform live on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5d80x_FH5w)

Also check out Esthero’s Bad Boy Clyde, another easy listening number with great vocal harmonies.

Will discuss Mars Volta in the next post.

Inappropriate?

“Kirstie Kenney, the US Ambassador to the Philippines, awarded the medals for the top three finishers of the men’s basketball tournament”

Manila Times, October 3, 2006

One thing that caught my attention at last Monday’s basketball finals between Ateneo and UST was the presence of US ambassador Kristie Kenney in the stands. (The image of Pope John Paul II in the gallery caught my attention too, but that’s another story.)It was actually the second time I saw her at the UAAP finals. When asked which team she was rooting for, Kenny gave a safe answer and held up both blue and yellow balloons.

I learned from a news report (and I’m not sure how it happened) that Kenney awarded the championship medals to the top three finishers of the UAAP basketball division.

Now there’s something you don’t see everyday from US officials here in the Philippines. Ever since she got here, Kenney has been on a charm offensive, trying to soften the image of the number one imperialist-terrorist power in the world. Her appearance in the UAAP Finals was a media coup. (We don’t just fight terrorists! We love sports too!). Cameras would occasionally pan in the direction of Kenny during the game, earning her an interview with a courtside reporter.

What was going on in the minds of the UAAP organizers when they got Kenney to do the awarding of the championship medals? Did Kenney’s “finals appearance” enhance the value of the award? (She’s not exactly Nelson Mandela, you know.). Does her participation make the event any more meaningful?

Are the organizers unaware of how isolated the US is in the global community after it single-handedly waged the so-called “war on terror” whose basis is now being questioned even by the American public?

Or are the UAAP organizers just victims of that not-so-new problem of colonial thinking that they believe anything handed out by a foreigner, including a basketball championship trophy, is worth more than what it already is? Why the US ambassador? Why not some other dude from a Third World country?

The thought of the US ambassador handing out the medals was just darn sickening. Makes you wonder if the geniuses behind that stunt have any remaining sense of history left. Such a shame.

Kenney can go to any basketball game she wants, but I don’t think people should go the extra mile just to give her a platform to promote something that she’s not while concealing the true interests she represents.

Congrats though to the UST Growling Tigers for doing a hell of a job in wrapping up Game 3. Their trophy was made meaningful by their own hard work. ‘Nuff said.

STILL NO POWER

I got word today from my younger brother that we would still have no electricity at home up to Wednesday or Thursday this week.

If power is restored on Thursday, that would make it exactly one week since the power outage at the height to the storm. The Inquirer banner story today said that millions remain without power or water. Many of these folks are in Bicol in Southern Luzon and in what our creative friends at Meralco would call “isolated areas in Metro Manila”. The Meralco claim is that power has been restored to 94% of its franchise area, just 6% short of their target 100% as of last night’s deadline.
Funny belonging to that “unlucky” 6% of Meralco customers not having electricity. Last I checked, a significant part of the Scout area and Timog area in Quezon City and some places in the Roxas district still had no power. Repairs were only started in the Timog lines Sunday morning. That’s when Meralco started clearing the damaged posts. Some of the posts near Panay Ave. and Mo. Ignacia streets snapped like toothpicks during the storm. Some broken posts didn’t exactly fall. They were just there, hanging dangerously, probably waiting for another storm before they crash down on unsuspecting motorists and pedestrians. They were hanging dangerously for three days before any clearing ops were done.

But in the worst hit areas like Bicol, power is not expected to be restored till another 1-2 months. Even if some provinces are able to set up their electric posts, this will all be for naught because the main transmission lines connecting the provinces are still down. It would take a huge effort on the part of government and even people’s organizations to get Bicol “on its feet again”.

Which brings us to the latest preoccupation of Congress today, that of amending or revising the constitution. In a time of severe economic distress, lawmakers aligned with the administration have not given up on changing the constitution, trying to make a final big push before Congress goes on recess by mid-October. The congressman from Sorsogon was right in saying that cha-cha won’t build houses or provide shelter for the victims of Milenyo, yet the administration lawmakers are hell-bent on pursuing charter change.

It is the height of undisguised selfishness and just plain insensitivity.

While millions are languishing without power, those who wield it are still craving for more.