The (hopefully) Unforgotten: Valor and our comfort women

 REMEMBRANCE

Philippine 'comfort women' protest for justice by chinadaily.com.cn

For too long the National Youth Commission (NYC) has been used by various administrations as training ground for next-gen storm troopers. So it was a pleasant surprise to find an NYC Holy Week email asking Filipinos to “Remember Stories of Comfort Women” while celebrating Araw ng Kagitingan. 

A statement from NYC Chairman Leon Flores III says:

“Sa darating na Araw ng Kagitingan, kinikilala rin ng NYC ang ating mga lolas at ang kanilang kagitingan at lakas noong Japanese occupation. Mahalaga na ating malaman ang kanilang mga kuwento, kung paano sila inabuso, sinaktan, ginahasa at pinilahan ng mga sundalong hapon sa mga ‘comfort stations’. Hanggang ngayon, wala pa silang nakakamit na hustisya at marami sa kanila ang namatay na. Alamin natin ang kanilang mga kwento bilang pagpapahalaga sa kasaysayan.” 

(As we celebrate the Day of Valour, NYC also acknowledges the courage of our grandmothers during the Japanese occupation. It is important that we appreciate their narratives of horror and humiliation – how they were abused, raped and harmed in the comfort stations.  Until now, they have not attained justice and several of them have already passed away. Let us value our history by knowing their stories.)

“The struggle of Filipino comfort women may have several layers of issues attached to it already. What is both important and urgent is that our lolas know that young people are aware of the issue and are one with them in their fight for justice. We hope the young will realize that it is both a women’s issue and importantly, an issue of the country’s sovereignty.”

I’ve never met Mr. Flores and don’t know his information people. But they seem to be holding themselves apart from the general partisan clangor of the body politic. Also, they seem to give peers the respect due thinking individuals. It’s impressive how these young people show enough discipline to not mount the soapbox in this passage:

“During the Japanese occupation in the Philippines, several women were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military in what was termed as ‘comfort stations’. A Motion for Reconsideration (MR) is now pending with the Supreme Court against the decision (Vinuya vs. Romulo) penned by Justice Mariano del Castillo.”

SALT ON THEIR WOUNDS

The del Castillo reference here involves the notorious plagiarized decision that led to the impeachment of the magistrate. The Vinuya decision threw out the petition of 70 Filipino comfort women seeking Philippine government support in their fight to wrest a formal apology and reparation from Japan for the horrors visited on them during World War II.

The gist of the SC comfort women controversy is, that not only did del Castillo plagiarize the works of  the works of Ivan Criddle, Evan Fox-Descent, Christian Tams, and Mark Ellis, he plagiarized writings supporting our comfort women. As comfort women counsel Romel Bagares notes, he stole and then used these stolen fruits in a twisted bid to legitimize his ruling.

Del Castillo is on extended leave due to ill health so there’s not much likelihood of another Senate impeachment trial right after that of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

(For those who may want to know more, try to read the story of Lola Rosa, Maria Rosa Henson. She was the first Filipina Comfort Woman of WWII to come forward publicly on September 12, 1992. She died in 1997, still fighting for justice. Here’s an excerpt from the book. Those who want to read the Philippine government study that aimed to provide aid to the surviving comfort women, go here.)

Hung Liu, Strange Fruit (Comfort Women), 80 x 160" Oil on Canvas, 2001 from http://provisionslibrary.com/?page_id=12768

A special United Nations-commissioned report has found that the government of Japan orchestrated the enslavement of “comfort women” as part of their policy of war. Filipinos, to be sure, were not the only victims. Koreans, Chinese, Malays, Indonesians, Burmese — no one escaped the cruelty.

Enslavement here includes “gang rape, forced abortions, sexual violence, human trafficking,
and other crimes against humanity”.

Lola Rosa, Maria Rosa Henson, first Filipino to come out publicly as a former comfort woman of WW2

A summary of the report states:

“Tens of thousands of Filipino women, some of them as young as thirteen years of age, were either abducted from their homes or streets and brought to ‘comfort stations’ where they were raped daily by Japanese soldiers.

In addition to the sexual violations, the comfort women suffered other bodily injuries due to constant beatings inflicted by the Japanese soldiers in the course of the rape. Chopping of women’s breasts and forced abortion were also prevalent.”

The report came out in 2003. This was three years after the Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal 2000 included rape and sexual slavery as “crimes against humanity”.

This was three years after the Tribunal affirmed what various WW2 resistance movements have long claimed: That Japanese troops could not have enjoyed such regular, untrammeled access to sex slaves without approval from their highest military and civilian — S T A T E — officials.

A study by the Philippine government from 1997 to 2002 estimates there were over 1,000 enslaved women in this country. They were taken to some 17 comfort stations scattered all over Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The Digital Museum on the Comfort Women Issue lists the locations of their enslavement, with an accompanying map.

“In Manila… there were 12 houses of relaxation (comfort stations) and 5 brothels for privates and non-commissioned officers. War prisoners testified that there were 5 or 6 comfort stations where Korean, Filipino and Chinese women worked. On the island of North Luzon comfort stations existed at Bayonbong(1). In the Central Visaya region on the island of Masbate(3) there was a comfort station named “Military Club”. At Iloilo(4) on the island of Panay two comfort stations existed. It can be ascertained that in 1942 in the first one 12 – 16 women worked and in the second one 10 – 11 women. At Cebu(5) on the island of Cebu a Japanese proprietor opened a comfort station. At Tacloban(6) on the island of Leyte in a comfort station managed by Filipinos 9 Filipino women worked.

In Burauen(7) of the same island a comfort station was opened by August 1944.

In Butuan(8) on the island of Mindanao a comfort station was opened with three Filipino women in 1942. And it is known that in Cagayan(9) of the same island the third comfort station was established in February 1943. That means that there were three comfort stations in Cagayan. In Dansaran(10) in the central part of the island there was a Comfort station. In Davao(11) of the island there was a comfort station where Koreans, Taiwanese and Filipinos were brought and forced into service.

Another analysis on the report shows just how organized and efficient the Japanese were in their enslavement of women:

Only Japanese soldiers were allowed to frequent the “comfort stations” and were normally charged a fixed price. The prices varied by the women’s nationality.The rank of the soldier determined the length of time allowed for a visit, the price paid, and the hours at which the soldier was entitled to visit the comfort station. At least a portion of the revenue was taken by the military. According to the testimony of a survivor quoted in the report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur, from 3 to 7 pm each day she had to serve sergeants, whereas the evenings were reserved for lieutenants.

The Japanese Army also regulated conditions at the “comfort stations,” issuing rules on working hours, hygiene, contraception, and prohibitions on alcohol and weapons. “Comfort women” were recorded on Japanese military supply lists under the heading of “ammunition” as well as under “Amenities.” Army doctors carried out health checks on the “comfort women,” primarily to prevent the spread of venereal disease. The “comfort women” system required the deployment of the vast infrastructure and resources that were at the government’s disposal, including soldiers and support personnel, weapons, all forms of land and sea transportation, and engineering and construction crews and matériel.

There is no more cruel euphemism than the term comfort women. Whatever the Japanese thought they provided the would-be conquerors of Asia, these women endured hell during and after the war. In the conservative societies pillaged by the Japanese military, most spent the decades following World War 2 nursing sorrow and anger and shame. Harper Lee said it best in her novel, To Kill A Mockingbird:

“Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It’s knowing you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.”

The UN special rapporteur’s report stressed Japan’s intransigence and its effect:

Almost fifty-six (56) years have passed since the abominable wartime sexual slavery, but the Japanese government still fails and refuses to acknowledge its legal responsibility to the Filipino comfort women, so the painful experiences and the psychological trauma suffered by the Filipino comfort women have remained unabated up to now.

A decade ago, there was already a weary air to the struggle. But even as late as 2007, Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said there is no evidence that women were forced to become sex slaves by the Japanese army during World War II. This is what he said:

“There has been debate over the question of whether there was coercion… But the fact is, there was no evidence to prove there was coercion as initially suggested…That largely changes what constitutes the definition of coercion, and we have to take it from there.”

The issue is an emotive one for the East Asian region (Photo from BBC website)

The outrage prompted writer M. Evelina Galang to put up a special blog on the issue.

“The issue of military sexual slavery during World War II should be seen from the perspective of the women-victims,” says Galang. “Justice should be delivered soon – while the Lolas are still alive. Now is the time to take more aggressive action to pressure the Japanese government to make apology and reparations.”

“It is the task of the present generation to prevent historical repetitions of severe violations of human rights.” 

Too little of our young people remember the plight of the comfort women. There’s precious little to be learned about them in school books — where most space is reserved for warriors.

That’s partly why the NYC move is so welcome. Our comfort women need a new generation to carry on their fight.  For valor is not just for warriors. As we celebrate “Araw ng Kagitingan”, let us salute the brave women still fighting for justice in the twilight of their lives. And let us not abandon their quest, nor let governments forget.

***

Araw ng Kagitingan “2B Commemorative Bicycle Tour.”

For you active types, here’s a release from the Department of Tourism that may interest you.

The 2B Commemorative Bicycle Tour is part of the official “Araw ng Kagitingan” activities approved and endorsed by the National Steering Committee on National Observance led by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

2B stands for Balara and Bilibid. The tour monumentalizes the two sites where Filipino guerrillas mounted victorious military action against the Japanese occupation forces. In Balara, a guerrilla town unit was able to rescue the Balara filters from demolition just a few days before the start of the Battle for Manila. In Bilibid, on the other hand, guerrillas mounted a daring raid to rescue their comrades held in New Bilibid Prison. They were able to execute the military operation successfully with lightning speed, surgical precision and without casualties. Sixty-six years later, it still shines as a Filipino feat of arms.

The route that connects the two sites passes through the eastern side of Metro Manila. From Quezon City, it goes through Pasig and traverses the old Spanish road that connected the former parts of Rizal to its former capital. The 2B Tour is more than 35 kilometers one way. The tour will include a return trip with scheduled rest stops along the way.

The 2B Tour is open to all cycling enthusiasts. It’s not a race and will be run at a leisurely pace of 15 to 20 kilometers per hour. The challenge is to complete the bike run. The route offers an alternative for cyclists who want to head south or north without passing through EDSA, C-5 or the SLEX service roads.

(This link has more details.)

April 8, 2012April 9, 2012 by Inday Espina-Varona Categories: History, Human rights, politics, WomenTags: Araw ng Kagitingan, Comfort Women, Department of Tourism, Justice Mariano del Castillo, National Youth Commission, Philippine Supreme Court, Women's International War Crimes Tribunal 2000, World War 2 Leave a comment

‘Groupie’ of the Year: The Facebook Dragnet

Singing along to “I’m easy, easy as Sunday morning,” I spot my name in a comment made by poet/author Susan Lara. Artist Aba Lluch Dalena had complained that a group called “We Support Chief Justice Corona and the Rule of Law” included her as member without permission. Susan checked, saw the profiles of many friends, and decided to inform us.

A few minutes later, I spot the post of brother, Nonoy Espina. It was a screenshot, with my meowing scarredcat image on the upper left side, with friends and Facebook acquaintances all around.  His intro note to the screenshot:

“…ng pinindot ko ang ‘About’ ito ang lumantad, kasama na si Marco Valbuena na kilala sa media na tagapagsalita ng CPP at ang kapatid ko na alam ko’ng hinding-hindi sasali dito. Di ko na sinilip kung nandyan din ako. At andyan din ang mga umano’y admin ng grupo. ‘Langya, wala naman sanang ganyanan.”

In the “About” section are a host of people — 14, 020 as of this writing. Many of them are my friends, many of them definitely opposed to the Chief Justice. Of course, I also saw other friends who support the beleaguered magistrate. I won’t give the Who’s Who of contending sides here. Those of you who read news and blogs probably know who they are.

Here’s the screen shot showing my Facebook profile photo.

And here are the administrators of the Group. Though, frankly, I think these are false identities. If you’re real, give me a call, girls!

I love my brother for saying, “at ang kapatid ko na alam kong hinding-hindi sasali dito.” I can imagine Nonoy muttering into a cup of coffee: yeah, over her dead body. I don’t know if Aba’s complaint had anything to do with her position on the Chief Justice. It’s probably a matter of principle. It’s never nice to be tagged to any part of social, political or religious divides without your say so.

True, the group is an “open” group — anyone can join. And I do know that many pro-Corona folk join anti-Corona groups (and vice versa) and start flaming each other.

As Philippines Graphic editor-in chief, Joel Pablo Salud, notes:

“…apparently, in FB, any group can include you into their little huddle even without your consent. Yesterday i found out I was a member of the same group. There’s an icon on the left you can tap to leave the group. Watch out for groups that include you without prior permission. Check your list from time to time.”

And so I did, with some idea of what lay in wait. And now, it’s official. I can compete for the “Groupie of the Year” award. Over a hundred, closer to 2oo hundred groups.

I see my profile included in pro-Corona and anti-Corona groups, pro-Pinoy and anti-Pinoy groups.

  There’s the Negrenses for Corona Removal.

There’s the 2M Yellow NoyPis, an offshoot of the election-season BSAIII fan-page that saw its huge membership “stolen” by certain communications officials of the Aquino administration. But they’re still pro-PNOY.

There’s Pinoys watching Pnoy, critical but open-minded. And there’s the Aquino Resign Movement.

There are pro and anti-RH bill groups, media support groups and media-bashing groups, half a dozen environmental groups, a dozen music groups, all kinds of groups involving overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their issues, around ten different groups with different Mindanao-based causes. There are groups opposing and promoting mining, and even cooking groups — though I hardly cook.

And there’s one that really gives me pause: SUPPORT THE ROYAL HASHEMITE SULTANATE OF SULU AND SABAH, a group whose website sports a lot of “royal crests”, including one belonging reportedly to “Royal Datu” Antonio C. Leviste — yes, of Bilibid living-out infamy.

I remember only a handful of groups seeking permission. (Funny that all the music groups did not forget that courtesy; must be a civilizing influence.)

Some people will ask:  Should journalists join social media groups?

Well, there’s the difficulty of barring sneaking “invites”. My friends don’t have a common answer to, “how can I prevent groups from making me their member?” Facebook has, and it’s not very encouraging, especially to journalists who live a “public” social media life, with a couple of thousands of “friends”:

In other words, cunning Facebook is giving groups and networks greater power than us puny individuals. I suspect somewhere along the way it will pay off as a way of circumventing the supposed ban on “Pages” peddling wares and what-have-you.

There is only one way to prevent inclusion into an “undersirable” Group. Watch like a hawk and swipe at anybody not worth your while. As Vincent Pozon notes, “A very impolite feature of Facebook.”

Ethics-wise, the issue is controversial in journalism. Some colleagues say, Nyet! Some say, just be careful. Many social media ethics guides for journalists say, if you have to because it is part of your job to keep tabs on the rainbow — don’t discriminate.

On the record, the only groups I have volunteered for are the various “Espina family” groups, high school alumni groups and the music groups. Maybe one or two more I can’t remember, but not more than that. On one hand, it’s irksome to find that some folk need a remedial course in Good Manners & Right Conduct. On the other hand, I can’t really be outraged.

I’m a great believer in free expression and in equal opportunity. I don’t mind people posting contrary views on my page. The only things I actually delete are brazen advertisement, personal attacks on fellow Netizens; going beyond fair comment and indulging in libelous and slanderous posts about government officials; discrimination on the basis of religion, political belief, gender and sexual identity and economic status; and posts advocating hatred and espousing violence.

Inanities I will tolerate. And everyone has the right to display stupidity. But rudeness and uncouth behavior are surefire recipes for banishment. And that is not the sole domain of the pro-Corona forces 🙂

Still. I’m beginning to think a line might need to be drawn somewhere. What if some groups harbor genuine crazies? Also, there is the physical fact of having only so many hours in a day. Of what use are 200 groups if I don’t have the time to scour them for precious nuggets of news?

I close my eyes to imagine what I could lose. And all I get are the faces of those “Hashemite” datus.

Time to start pruning!

(I’d like to thank the following friends: Alma Anonas-Carpio, Nelly Bettito, Nenets Medel, Edred Jascha Didier, Pam Miguel-Callos, Maria Fema Duterte and Thonee Vargas.)

April 2, 2012April 2, 2012 by Inday Espina-Varona Categories: Essays, media criticism, UncategorizedTags: facebook, Facebook controversy over groups, Facebook groups, good manners 3 Comments

A Double Standard of Justice: The Gerry Ortega case

Executive Secretary Jojo Ochoa issued a call today, on the eve of Earth Day, to care more for Mother Nature. Meanwhile, Malacanang spits on the soul of a fallen environmental warrior. Here’s why:

A couple on months back, the nation was glued to the spectacle of government operatives barring former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from leaving the country. The incident happened in the absence of any hold order on the much-maligned former Chief Executive. There was no hold order because no court had yet issued an arrest warrant for her. In fact, no case against Mrs. Arroyo had even reached the courts yet. What the government had was a watchlist order (WLO) on President Benigno Aquino’s predecessor. This watchlist order was the subject of a Supreme Court temporary restraining order (TRO) — a  TRO that Justice Secretary Leila de Lima refused to implement.

I will not discuss the merits of the TRO or the WLO — the latter the same weapon Mrs. Arroyo had wielded against her political opposition. The TRO later became part of the Aquino administration’s impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Renato Corona. Mrs. Arroyo has since been arraigned and remains in hospital arrest due to an ailment affecting the spine. The Chief Justice is still battling it out in his impeachment trial.

The administration is confident the Senate impeachment court will find Corona guilty. Majority of Filipinos think he could be guilty, but prefer to leave the decision to the sentor-judges. The latter — which has been borne out survey after survey — is not making Mr. Aquino or his allies happy. There has been plenty of talk about we, the people, waging war against the CJ in the name of Justice. But this isn’t about Mrs. Arroyo or the Chief Justice. It is about this administration’s warped view on justice. It is about amazing leaps of logic and disturbing signs that more than hint that, indeed, some in this benighted nation are more equal than others.

In January 2010, a gunman killed Palawan environmentalist Gerry Ortega. It was daylight. It was in a crowded second-hand clothes shop; Gerry was buying clothes for his offspring.

Alert townfolk managed to corner the suspect. He squealed. Shortly after, three others were arrested: two lookouts and the recruiter, Rodolfo Edrad, a former bodyguard of former Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes. Edrad confessed that the gun used in Ortega’s slay belonged to  Romeo Seratubias, former provincial administrator. Seratubias did not deny this during the preliminary investigation.

The Justice Department initially dismissed the charges against Seratubias, Reyes and his brother, Coron Mayor Mario Reyes Jr., and two aides. The Secretary of the Justice inhibited from the case. De Lima was once election lawyer for the former governor.

Ortega’s kin, environmentalists and media groups refused to back down. The discovery of 84 text messages between the former governor and Edrad at around the time of the murder finally forced a re-investigation. State prosecutors eventually filed murder raps against the brothers and their cohorts.

On Tuesday, the regional trial court in Palawan issued arrest warrants for Reyes and company. By that time, he had disappeared. His brother had bid farewell to fellow local politicians in Coron.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) launched a manhunt. But a day after, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo did the unthinkable. He said the government would give Reyes until the end of the week to surrender.

It was an irresponsible statement to make. There was a legitimate arrest warrant. The case was murder, under circumstances showing great willingness by suspects to ruthlessly punish their enemies. Murder is a non-bailable crime. The cops were on a manhunt, for god’s sake.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines was “aghast” at Robredo’s move.

“What Robredo is in effect doing is ordering law enforcement agencies not to obey the lawful order of the Palawan regional trial court to place the Reyes brothers under arrest and stand trial for the Ortega murder.

What right does he have, what authority, to openly issue such an order in defiance of our laws?

Surely Robredo knows that our law enforcers are in possession of the warrants, having already served one on former Palawan provincial administrator Romeo Seratubias.

Neither can we imagine that Robredo is unaware that every day the warrants are not served increases the chances of the Reyes brothers escaping justice, either by actual flight or by allowing their lawyers to delay their arrest and trial.”

The following day, Thursday, Reyes came out defiant, saying he would take his sweet time.

“Haharapin ko sa takdang oras ang mga paratang at akusasyon na ito. Nandito lang ako sa inyong piling, nagtatago sa inyong puso. Hindi ko tatakbuhan ang hustisya ngunit para maiwasan ang patuloy na pang-aapi at pag-aalipusta at pagbibintang ng walang basehan,” he said.

As if that wasn’t enough of an insult against Lady Justice and Ortega’s heirs, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda — a lawyer — gave the Palace stamp of approval on Robredo’s order. If you think the DILG Secretary’s move is outrageous, Lacierda’s justification will make you puke. This morning Lacierda explained the deferment as a sign OF DEFERENCE TO HIS (Reyes’) POSITION AS A FORMER GOVERNOR.

It is breath-taking in its ignorance of the law. It is breath-taking in its display of entitlement.

As I’m ending the blog, I get word that Malacanang has turned around. The manhunt is on. Again.

That’s small consolation. But it doesn’t erase the fact that an alter-ego of the President, his spokesman no less, has given us a glimpse into their heart of darkness.

March 30, 2012March 31, 2012 by Inday Espina-Varona Categories: Essays, Events, politics, UncategorizedTags: Edwin Lacierda, Gerry Ortega, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Jesse Robredo, Joel Reyes, Leila de Lima, President Benigno Aquino III 7 Comments

American Idol: Some lessons for Jessica

How many times can you ask a single rhetorical question in a single night? In the case of the American Idol judges on the evening of March 28, seven times too many. Randy Jackson isn’t even funny when he acts the befuddled elder, wondering why his nine remaining wards are doing the musical equivalent of the descent of the Holy Spirit.

Punch-line crazy Filipinos were probably screaming at their television sets, “kailangan pa bang imemorize yan?!”. That’s a cultural pun that won’t survive translation, so here’s a simpler reply for our friend. Because, Dawg, they’re singing their songs. They’re performing songs that captivate them, not the anthems of people they’ve never heard of.

Oh, sure, asking “Billy Who?” is shameful. But we can’t all be walking music encyclopedias. It takes some experience – more than a teenager can be expected to have – to take one look at notes and lyrics and immediately grasp context and the things that lie between the lines.

Now, liking a song and knowing what suits you do not always go together.  Idol contestants are not ordinary kids. They know the kind of artists they want to be. The danger is on the other end.  Great want amid the absence of creativity can bring down a web of delusions. And 18-year-old fossils get ground to dust fast inHollywood.

Redemption songs

On the night they’re singing songs of their Idols, the contestants are blessed with one of the most perceptive mentors to grace that seat beside Jimmy Iovine.

Stevie Nicks, of Fleetwood Mac fame, knows what’s it like to be young and more than a little wild. She’s a wonderful, equal-opportunity flirt, drawing out the kids and treating the cantankerous Iovine like some sweet pet.

Nicks she gives the contestants a great lesson: “Never forget you’re telling a story”.

Because, really, in the end that’s what makes an idol – the ability to make people believe a tale, the capacity to understand what it is that moves men and women to cry into their beds at night or to skip and swirl on sun-flecked lanes.

Who manages to captivate the audience? Whose tale falls flat? And who break out of their shells and private hells and propel judges and audience to their feet?

Let’s take it from the bottom:

9) DeAndre Brackensick: One high line is great. Or two, or even a run with four or five lines. But an entire song in that range just brings on a humongous headache.

DeAndre hits all the right notes in “Sometimes I Cry”. He does sound different in this Idol line-up. But that’s not the same as “unique”.

And DeAndre still can’t tell a story. His eyes tell me he’s counting the notes.

8) Hollie Cavanagh drops the sequins and her grandma’s clothes for a communion dress. That’s a bit too literal for “Jesus Take the Wheel”. Or, maybe, she just wants to copy Carrie Underwood.

Which is really Hollie’s problem. She hasn’t done anything yet but copy.

While she’s good, she doesn’t have the magic of the originals. All that white just turns her face 50 shades of bland. That’s not exactly what’s needed when you’re sharing a story about a woman in desperate straits. Someone really should find Hollie songs that are her age.

 7) Skylar Laine just looks too happy for Miranda Lambert’s “Gunpowder and Lead”, a song about battered faces and shattered dreams.

There are precocious souls and some areas of the Mississippi have dark, dark secrets. And one day some 16-year old girl will go up on the Idol stage and bare the scars in her soul. But to do that, you need have lived some. Skylar has a great voice and even greater spirit, but there is no way she can sell the story of County Road 233:

I got two miles till he makes bail/ And if I’m right we’re headed straight for hell…I’m goin’ home, gonna load my shotgun/ Wait by the door and light a cigarette/ He wants a fight well now he’s got one/ He ain’t seen me crazy yet/ Slapped my face and he shook me like a rag doll/ Don’t that sound like a real man/ I’m gonna show him what a little girl’s made of

6) Colton Dixon is a sly fox who knows all the moves. He’s pitch perfect flirting with Stevie Nicks. He proclaims his deep faith and then sings “Everything”:

You are the strength that keeps me walking/ You are the hope that keeps me trusting/ You are the light to my soul/ You are my purpose, You’re everything/ How can I stand here with You and not be moved by You?/ Would You tell me, how could it be any better than this?…. You calm the storms, and You give me rest/ You hold me in Your hands,/  You won’t let me fall/ You steal my heart, and You take my breath away/ Would You take me in, take me deeper now

It’s a Worship song missing the word, “God”. Now, that’s not a sin. It also guarantees that his tweens will hold on to the illusion that, even on bended knees, he’s singing to them and not to some great heavenly light.

But all that do not hide the fact that it’s a thin voice here, overpowered by the busy arrangement. Still, Colton has beautiful eyes that he uses to great effect. They’re powerful narrative tools and will keep him in the higher ranks.

Into the Light

5) Heejun Han, resident clown, puts one up onColton in the backstory department. He comes to work chastised, in a confessional mood that is just the right blend of pop psycho babble and honest-to-goodness redemption lessons. Nobody can resist that, especially when the story-teller sports sad almond eyes.

But people aren’t that gullible. What really turns the tide for Heejun is what’s most important to the Idol audience: His voice.

There are one or two little wobbles but that voice is full bodied without being oppressive. That can throw up a dazzling light and shadow show.  And for someone who can’t pronounce those ending consonants, he shows remarkable talent for phrasing Leon Russel’s “Song for You”. It is great story-telling and of the hardest kind because it rests on one’s willingness to take us into that private world. If the performance didn’t convince you, get the iTunes audio version and get lost in the magic of Heejun’s song.

4) Joshua Ledet appears tentative in some of his performances. Sometimes I’ve felt the vocal acrobatics are but a mask for whatever it is Joshua can’t bring out. (Okay, I do have an overactive imagination.)

But maybe because “Without You” is a generic – if powerful – love song, Joshua is spared the ambivalence that has hampered his other performances.

I’m wondering if those doubts, those secrets that can’t be share are what cause all the overwrought singing, because he finds his balance here. So that when he climbs and unloads all that passion, and even tear at the end, it’s believable.

Fire and Ice

3) Phillip Phillips is wearing a blazer! See, Tommy, miracles happen when you stop acting like some tinpot dictator and give these kids freedom of choice.

“Still Rainin’” is a perfect foil for Phil’s gravelly vocals. He’s looser than usual; playful. Do not underestimate the power of a playful vibe in a song with the word “rain” in it. Which is really wacko in this song about heartbreak.

Clouds, one by one, fill the sky/ Just like these tears that fill my eyes/ I know by now she ain’t comin’ back/ I watch my world slowly fade into black… Look out my window it’s still rainin’/ Look out my window it’s still rainin’… They say that time heals everything/ I’ve known the pain, honey, that love can bring/ It don’t get no better with each passing day/ Any hope I had is slowly slipping away

There is no single line of redemption in the entire song. So why does that smile add meaning to the song, rather than bare a clueless mind (in the case of Sklar)?

The only reason is, that Phil is one of those rare Idol contestants — a fully-formed adult. And on and off stage, his backstory is holding up well — which is, that beyond an aw shucks demeanor is someone of implacable will, who will not hesitate to walk away from it all, or hit the mat, when he sees his world threatened.

That smile — it brings a similar one to Nicks’ face — is gorgeous. It is also full of shadows and layers. And the best thing about this dude is he carries all that sex appeal so lightly.

3) Jessica Sanchez slows down Beyonce’s “Sweet Dreams”and proves she’s capable of turning out a hit tomorrow.

She’s like a wraith, Jessica is,  on a stage that is someone’s too-literal vision of a psychoanalyst’s paradise. Some parts have the eerie airs of Enya and Sinead – except that we know the power is just a turn of phrase away.

But there is something Jessica must master if she’s to keep that lead safe. She cannot yet tell a story, not in the primal way of icons.

She has the moves and there is no question about that voice, which has yet to sing a note wrong. But Jessica still has to let down her guard, which is the first step to letting us in. Or, if that’s too hard for a shy girl to do, she has find the courage to wade into our vale of tears and, convince us that she understands what, besides a beautiful voice, can move people to ecstasy and despair.

1) Elise Testone for the first time shows that she knows to be happy. And what a reason she has.

Elise leaves Jessica Sanchez in a dust with a strutting, raucous, note-perfect cover of Led Zeppelin “Whole Lotta Love”. Gone is the inward-look, the hunched shoulders, the arms folded into a cave. Elise now prowls the stage like a giant feline, stretching here, springing up there, and always engaging the audience with eyes that are a masterclass in the art of making love to the collective.

The change came slowly. Great promise was shown last week. With LedZep, we get the privilege to see the final breaking of Elise’s chains. It was, perhaps, the duet with Nicks where both gals forgot Iovine and just indulged in one heck of a love fest.

Whatever the reason, Elise has unleashed the inner goddess. The only question now is whether the American Idol audience will embrace the goddess, revere her, fall down on their knees for her — or whether they can’t take in all that glory and either run away or find some stakes for a giant bonfire. And, of course, there is always regression and backsliding….

March 30, 2012March 30, 2012 by Inday Espina-Varona Categories: music, reality shows, ReviewsTags: American Idol 2012, Colton Dixon, DeAndre Brackensick, elise testone, Hollie Cavanagh, Jessica Sanchez, jimmy iovine, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Skylar Laine, stevie nicks 2 Comments

Jessica Sanchez storms back with Billy Joel’s ode to dreams

Steven Tyler’s right. If you can’t sing Billy Joel, you can’t sing at all. But the siren call of Joel’s melodies, much like those of Simon and Garfunkle, also makes it darn hard to own his songs. How do folk young enough to be Joel’s grandkids avoid the dreaded just-another-cover trap? How do they put their mark on some of the most enduring classics of pop music?

The Idol Top 10 deliver some surprises. Some tapped into their artistic strengths. Some hammed it up. And a couple flailed in the Piano Man’s embrace. Here’s my take on their performances, according to rank.

#1 Jessica Sanchez

Just when fans feared Jessica was trapped in dreary karaoke limbo, a knight saved her.

Diddy and Jessica — that’s one strange pair. Rapper and budding ballad diva. Leather and jive, lace and languor. Thank god for Billy Joel’s songbook. It sprawls across enough genres and worldviews; everyone gets a room in that inn. And thank god a 16-year old Fil/Mex/Am — who’s never heard of the pop icon — was hungry enough to heed the  rapper/producer/entrepreneur formerly known as Puff Daddy.

Deep reserves of steel in this wisp of a woman. Jessica saw past Diddy’s scorn as he took aim at the same affectations that must have won praise for her as a precocious kid.

“You have to pull back from the showing off, the tricks. Tricks aren’t going to get you to the superstar level,” said the rapper after a raucous, bravura run. To the camera: “I think less is more.”

Jimmy Iovine, craggy face quivering with unshakeable belief in his young ward, tells Jessica to get out of her comfort zone and train those expressive eyes at the Diddy collective.

Jessica doesn’t just pay her respects.  She takes over “Everybody Has A Dream,” a hymn that sounds like a Disney movie theme in the early parts but ends with a nod to every praise-and-holler church that has succored lost souls.

“While in these days of quiet desperation / As I wander through the world in which I live / I search everywhere for some new inspiration / But it’s more than cold reality can give…” Right at the start, Jessica displays a depth that allows her to touch hearts in a way that Idol’s other big voice — Hollie Cavanagh — can only dream of. Poise, empathy, discipline and control — and that stunning gray frock emphasizing a tiny waist and limbs that taper down to the daintiest ankles in Hollywood.

It is a steady build-up that whets the appetite for the “moment” everyone knows is coming. And when it comes, Jessica silences every critic that has ever questioned whether she has enough  soul and strength and grit to plumb the major themes of life.

She invades Joshua Ledet’s turf and lays waste to pretensions with control and nuance beyond the reach of most adults. That punctuation in “this is my dream” ends any doubt about her maturity. It’s a rare moment when song, talent, mentors gel. That kind of magic humbles most witnesses (and, if Jessica’s expression is any gauge, probably her, too). Tyler, certainly; he doesn’t even bother to belabor his awe.

#2 Phillip Phillips

I always watch Idol performances first on youtube before sitting down for the night-time television treat. Sometimes, seeing these on a bigger screen, sans ear phones, causes shifts in perception. But whether on a PC monitor or on TV, Phillip is a very strong presence.

It is not just the voice. It’s the whole package — that face, the mien of an earnest, nice man crossed with a touch of rebel. (Maybe refusing to budge on outfit choice may be taking the iconoclastic bit too far; it’s not like shirts and polo are that unique.)

Like Colton Dixon, Phillip has this natural ability to bend a song this way and that, breathing into an old song and birthing a new one. This is especially true with “Moving Out”.

Now, scorching looks are normally the territory of Colton.  Suddenly, the dude from Georgia muscles in.

This is the greatest emotional investment Phillip has ever poured into a song. There is a grimness in his tone, in the way he bites off the lyrics. There is a feral quality to his smile as he growls about people in dire straits.

It’s probably his working class roots. He is a pawnshop worker. An entire town is trying to raise funds so worried parents could minister to a son still feeling the effects of kidney stones.

Anthony works in the grocery store / Savin’ his pennies for someday / Mama Leone left a note on the door, /She said, ‘Sonny, move out to the country.’ / Workin’ too hard can give you / A heart attackackackackackack /You oughta know by now … Who needs a house out in Hackensack? / Is that all you get for your money? …

He glowers at that last line. And then drips with sarcasm as he sings, “And it seems such a waste of time / If that’s what it’s all about / Mama, If that’s movin’ up then I’m movin’ out. ”

In a few minutes, we see a man spring forth on the Idol stage. Still very young. But very much a man, with a man’s burdens and pains and anger. What a song to mark a coming of age.

Suddenly, I’m wondering if America still has room for one more young white man with a guitar. Because the song, the singer and the times could conspire to make this so. While I’m rooting for Jessica, can’t say I’d begrudge Phillip a win.

(**Phillip and Heejun and bromance — “My Life” and “Moving Out”. Jeez, when are these guys going to run off? Nope, not insinuating anything more than, um, some high jinks Huck Finn style. But the two are such a diverting act that, I suspect, part of the reason Heejun’s still around is because the fans don’t want to deprive Phillip of his best friend.)

#3 Colton Dixon

“Piano Man” is perhaps one of Billy Joel’s most difficult songs. Not just because it reaches heights most singers fear; it also alternates that with low tones that could bleach strength out of the narrative.

Colton shows Randy no longer has to worry about lower-register pitch problems. He also probably has convinced an army of young women that a little bit of darkness trumps a sunshiny smile in the race to send hearts aflutter.

Funny that it is a high baritone and not the gravel-voiced Phillip who best lets out the shadows.  It’s probably the songwriter in Colton.The tweens won’t really understand this tale of heartbreak. All they — and their moms- will know is, a certainty that they and they alone can save this wounded man 🙂

It takes courage to tackle “Piano Man” and actually play those keys. The stylish Colton caresses every note of the ballad. His is a great indie rock voice. The wounded yelp is used here to great impact.

The voice, even at its softest, is rough-hewn, rebellion at its core, concerned with more than tussling over the color of one’s shirt. Yet it carries enough glamor — and he is just on the right side of pretty —  to make the leap into pop heaven.

When the money spot comes, as he climbs up ladididadididaa, your hair prickles. Colton breaks into a half smile in the middle of chord progression. The audience respond as he soars to the finish.  For sheer artistry and daring, this gets a medal.

#4Elise Testone

Will Elise kick herself tomorrow for choosing one of the few obscure Billy Joel songs? Hard to say.

I’d give her my vote anytime — she had the rhythm right tonight, sailed brilliantly through a difficult melody, showed off just the right touch of rasp. She even displayed a smidgen of a happy smile on her face. But this is American Idol. Too many factors playing on the emotions in the land of the brave and of the free.

Colton has gotten away with an unfamiliar song. But Elise had to choose one named after a foreign city, “Vienna”.

It’s also one of the few Billy Joel songs with lyrics that come close to hectoring. It’s not about a young one impatient to get through life — it’s a sermon to a young one impatient to get through life.

The tone is patronizing, the words enough to raise the hackles of the teenage hordes. I suppose if some youngster with irony and charisma  sings this, it could make for an unorthodox anthem:

Slow down, you crazy child / you’re so ambitious for a juvenile / But then if you’re so smart, tell me / Why are you still so afraid? / Where’s the fire, what’s the hurry about? / You’d better cool it off before you burn it out / You’ve got so much to do and / Only so many hours in a day … But you know that when the truth is told.. / That you can get what you want or you get old / You’re gonna kick off before you even / Get halfway through / When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?

But Elise not only looks like the mom of these teenage voters. She also has mom’s clothes on. I daresay some boy out there could probably have some fantasy of Elise singing to him, but not too many of them will. And their older sisters and moms will also be voting for someone else.

#5 Erika Van Pelt

Give Tommy Hilfiger a standing ovation, folks. A makeover takes Erika away from the world of sappy blondes and transforms her into a slightly rubenesque Monica Belluci — no, make it a cross between Belluci and k.d. Lang, if that’s not too rainbow-ish for you.

It’s amazing but how pixie haircut puts sexy back into into the big gal. Her rendition of “New York State of Mind” shows it.

It’s sassy and loose, the Lady and the Tramp deigning to visit the money bags. It has enough range to let the Erika throw out a few thunderbolts, enough lyricism to showcase her soft side in the ending. Its lyrics carry enough swag for her. And she’s got enough love for the entire Big Apple. The audience loves her back, too.

#6 Heejun Han

If you believe Steven Tyler, there can only be one way to interpret “My Life”. A bucket full of piss.

But hey, times change and different folks do different strokes. Heejun is not Billy Joel. Nobody wants Heejun to be Billy Joel. People want Heejun to be Heejun, the Korean transplant who compensates for the slurred consonants with enough ‘tude for three New York boroughs.

Heejun is the Asian-American who’s broken loose of the good-boy straight jacket, not too much that he scares the bejeezus out of us, but enough to prove that yellows and browns can thumb their noses like the rest of the country. Is that racist? Naaah, it’s called breaking down the doors and if Steven doesn’t like it, tough luck.

Diddy doesn’t know if he likes it, but he’s more game than the rock star. After all, rap and hip-hop seem to be unique forms of expression, nimble enough to be adopted by youth of all colors and languages — and religions.

“I don’t know if he’s an actor, or a con man. I don’t even know if he’s Asian,” the rapper-mentor mused. If I were Heejun, I’d take that as a compliment.

He’s not the best singer. But hey, we all know he’s not going to win American Idol 2012. People keep him on because he’s not too bad a singer and he gives them plenty of laughs. If the judges were capable of more than saccharine praise and trite phrases, maybe people would have tired of Heejun already.

Got a call from an old friend we’d used to be real close / Said he couldn’t go on the American way / Closed the shop, sold the house, bought a ticket to the west coast / Now he gives them a stand-up routine in L.A.

Steven, rebellion is not the exclusive domain of restless white men.

I don’t need you to worry for me cause I’m allright/ I don’t want you to tell me it’s time to come home / I don’t care what you say anymore this is my life / Go ahead with your own life leave me alone

Get it, Steve? It’s great social commentary from Heejun. And anybody who can strut that kind of comedy on the venerable Idol stage gets my vote. Now, THAT’s rebellion.

See you soon in a sitcom, Heejun. Meanwhile, enjoy the run.

#7 Skylar Laine

It’s strange that it took a Billy Joel song to throw back almost-crossover Skylar back into wilderness of country bathos. Guess it’s hard to maintain feistiness when you’re singing these lines:

Well I’m shameless when it comes to loving you/ I’d do anything you want me to /I’d do anything at all… And I’m standing here for all the world to see / There ain’t that much left of me / That has very far to fall

She reclaims her moxie at the last chorus, but it’s a little bit too late. It’s not bad. It’s just not memorable and it’s the first time Skylar doesn’t dazzle.

This young country mama is made for more than lamentations and she should reclaim her identity next round.

#8 Joshua Ledet

Here’s another young person who, like Skylar, shouldn’t sing an out-and-out plaintive love song.

” She’s got a way about her/ I don’t know what it is /But I know that I can’t live without her/ She’s got a way of pleasin’ / I don’t know why it is /But there doesn’t have to be a reason anywhere…She’s got a smile that heals me / I don’t know what it is / But I have to laugh when she reveals me / She’s got a way of talkin’ / I don’t know why it is /But it lifts me up when we are walkin’ anywhere…”

I do not know what it says that Joshua personifies blandness singing this love song. The vocal acrobatics towards the end are meaningless because they don’t have a context. They don’t have a context because he never really connected emotionally with the song.

I just got a thought bubble. Joshua should have sung “My Life”. Or, “Honesty”. Let’s get real here, peeps. Let your hair down. As Iovine warns, a good voice can only take you so far.

#9 DeAndre Brackensick

How do you solve a problem like Deandre? A stunning face. Hair that could launch a thousand escapades. A lithe body perfect for dance grooves. A voice that’s better than average. But he consistently chooses the wrong songs. Or is totally clueless about a song’s meaning.

This is just too funny.

In the Farm Aid concert, Billy Joel quipped about not knowing how much funds they would raise, but sure they’d raise hell with the song.

“Only the Good Die Young” is is all about a devil who sends nuns and moms and dads rushing to lock up their little angels.

Come out Virginia, don’t let me wait / You Catholic girls start much too late / Ah but sooner or later it comes down to fate / I might as well, will be the one … Well they showed you a statue and told you to pray / They built you a temple and locked you away / Ah but they never told you the price that you pay / For things that you might have done … Only the good die young / That’s what I said / Only the good die young / Only the good die young

Deandre sings it like a playground mate of my grandkid, Sophie. And I get a feeling that, at one-year and seven months, she would scare the hell out of Deandre. He turns this song of dangerous seduction into a Sesame Street ditty. On one level you can bop to it but Billy Joel, bless his wicked soul, was not inviting the young girls to play hopscotch.

But heck the girls were screaming so I guess hopscotch will have takers. Then again, he went first. I don’t even know if they’ll remember him after Colton and Phillip.

#10 Hollie Cavanagh

Presenting the debutante as The Good Wife. I didn’t realize Barbie dolls were in the habit of singing paeans to “Honesty”.  Somebody please bring Hollie back to the world of the living.

I also didn’t realize Hollie was so eager to step into Shannon’s shoes. The jerky moves. The growls and puckered brow spelling out “E M O T I O N!” And every cell of Hollie just working too hard to stay in tune and stay in competition that she crushes every speck of nuance in this huge Billy Joel hit — which she’d never heard before.

If there is any justice on earth, Hollie gets into the bottom third. I didn’t hear any boos when the judges criticized her. That’s something. Here’s hoping the audience gives credit to the deserving blonde.

Bottom line: Joshua has a voice way better than Heejun but I have a feeling the former lands in the bottom three. The voters may just reward Heejun’s cheek — or they may think some things are sacred. Hollie should and voters should try to forget that Elise is not a generous loser. Deandre should, but there’s always the hair to save him.

March 22, 2012March 23, 2012 by Inday Espina-Varona Categories: music, reality shows, Reviews, UncategorizedTags: American Idol 2012, billy joel, Colton Dixon, Diddy, elise testone, Erika Van Pelt, Heejun Han, Hollie Cavanagh, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips 2 Comments

Jessica Sanchez stumbles

Disagreeing with a lot of folks tonight. You tell me what you think!

Rank #4 Phillip Phillips: Super trooper

This young man from Georgia is a one-trick pony. But what a trick he’s got!

Folk-country-rock troubadour never really goes out of style. After the pageantry, we all run back to Jazon Mraz, right? I do.

Phillip has Scotty’s aw-shucks-am-just-a-country-boy charm down pat, He also seems to be the real thing. How many guys can flash that much wattage on the way to a kidney stone operation? More apropos, how many can resist the temptation to ham it up?

He comes out a bit spiffed up in a polo shirt with the right touch of brown-bronze shade; it warms up his skin. He ditches the guitar for “Hard to Handle”, which is a good move. Shows us those hips can move. The rasp will always be there but it’s natural, not an affectation, and he certainly rocks better than Scotty. He’s a happy young man who can give a helluva lot of clean fun – just the guy who can pull in both moms and their screaming tweens. (And he won’t make screaming moms feel a tad dirty because he’s serving us what we all want to remember – vibrant youth, innocent excitement.) Plus, he’s got a smile no amount of money can buy.

All around a very good performance. I gotta feeling he’s serving up “great” soon. And I gotta feeling this one goes all the way to top 4. It’s a good thing the girls are so good this year or else we could have a another white boy with a guitar winning Idol.

#Rank 5 Jessica Sanchez: One stumble can make you stronger

How in god’s name does one top a performance that’s earned 5 million hits on youtube?

Orly Cajegas,who knows all about entertainment, suggested Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy”  , which a few American bloggers also pushed.  With a lot of hits to choose from  Jessica, sigh, picks Gloria Estefan’s  “Turn the Beat Around” (an old song re-issued in 1995).

What can I say? Asians have as much grace as Latinos do. But it’s a different grace. We’re like bamboo, we sway with the wind. The Latinos have a rhythm best shown off to syncopation. We just don’t shake our booties the same way. And frankly, there’s precious little flesh to shake on Jessica’s slim frame.

The voice is strong and controlled as ever. But for magic to strike, the song must match the singer, must draw out the inner self for us to vicariously experience. Because entertainment is a buyer’s market and, let’s admit it, we’re all voyeurs. We wait for the joy, the angst and pain, the rage or the swooning romantic heart to sidle out and grab us. It is never just about one’s pipes.

The outfit is gorgeous. But even combined with Jessica’s vocals, this really skirts close to the dreaded wedding-singer category. Sorry, but Ms Swaggernaut got lost in cosmic space. Supremely competent just ain’t enough. You need to be memorable.

I’d rather have an awesome ballad than a dance tune that won’t get me on my feet. If she wanted out of birit zone, she could have done Michael Jackson’s “Childhood”  and make us all cry all over again.

She’s still safe (I think) but needs to watch out as there are a bevy of hungry gals waiting for her light to wane.  A bit worrisome that “dialidol.com places Sanchez in fifth place with a score of 4.966”l , warning that the votes seem too close to call. She could still be voted off. Here’s a chance for the social-media crazy Fil-Ams and their Hispanic compatriots to show their mettle!

Rank#10 Heejun Han: There’s a thin line between funny guy and perv

If this New Yorker sings Jessica’s breakout song, it would sound like, “and haaaaaayayay will always love you”. Idol vocal coaches should help the kid lick this bad habit, though that’s not probably going to matter to the gazillion of videoke-loving Asian-Americans (and videoke-loving Pinoy-Pinoys) who do the same.

Ballads are Heejun’s forte and his performance of Richard Marx’s “Right Here Waiting For You” is earnest but not hokey. It’s a contrast with his non-singing self, which could be a developing problem. Someone, maybe best buddy Phillip Phillips, should sit down Heejun and explain that overt mooning is funny the first time but becomes irksome as a trademark. We like flirting. We don’t like dirty old men. Besides, Heejun’s at least three decades too young to audition for that role, even in a comedy. Sure, American humor of very bad taste rakes in millions at the box office. Off-screen, however, pervs do not win the girl. Heejun’s strongest point is sardonic humor. He has the intelligence for two seasons of quips; he should stay away from slapstick and jerk territory.

Heejun’s singing IS pitchy tonight. It is excessively breathy in the lower registers, something he should correct. He wobbles slightly on some lines in the higher range (“I’ll take the chance” and “it’s going crazy”). And what’s with that unmoving hand on chest? He should make some gestures or else alternate with arm at rest. Looks like he’s singing the national anthem or suffering from heartburn, which would be a really screwy interpretation of a love song.

Light-hearted funny is sexy, Heejun. Stalker leers are not. Ditch those suits and go back to loose and cool. You’re from New York, for god’s sake. Bring back the knitted cap and give us some really good wisecracks. Swim to build up those chest tones. Focus on your greatest strength – your passion – and choose songs that can bring this out, like “New York State of Mind.”

Rank#8 Elise Testone: Almost but not quite

We’ll see if that “making babies” crack will win or lose Elise valuable points. The Idol audience invested in the-making-of syndrome and don’t usually like contestants to be too cocky. (I do, under certain conditions.)

Obviously, I’d give an arm and a leg to have a command performance of Barack crooning “Let’s Stay Together”, especially if it comes with that display of lip-biting – hey, Mr. Cool does have warm blood running in his veins, probably thanks to Michelle! I’m not too sure it helped the contestant. Does Elise plumb this song’s truth? She comes close. Powerful voice tonight and she’s thoroughly believable in the pleading parts. But she lacks the playfulness needed for a song that’s essential a lover’s flirty serenade.

I had to review the clip twice to spot the missing link. Gown, check. Really shows off those lovely gams. Moves, check, just enough sensuousness there without veering to tacky. It’s the smile that does her in. Middle or end of song, it’s too tentative, too… needy. That’s never good for romance (unless you’re co-dependents, and not for long). Woman, you’re looking for a roll, not a comforting hug. Where’d the spunky girl go?

Won’t be quite sexy for the men.  Not vulnerable enough  or foxy enough to rouse the sisterhood. Plus, she threw down the gauntlet and didn’t deliver. Ayayay. Bottom line: I’d watch her lounge act anytime. But Idol? Nah.

Rank# 11 DeAndre Brackensick: Missing his soul

Okay, no beating around the bush. “Endless Love” is a pet peeve, second only to the Titanic theme song. It is brainless. It is pure corn. It produces a reaction similar to one elicited by a  cola tin cap scraping a blackboard. It was simply criminal to give this song to a man already carrying the burden of preciousness. It tilts dangerously to caricature, those novelty acts doing male/female parts. You just do not win Idol this way.

Baby, you’re beautiful. Truly, truly. But it’s a beauty that leaves me cold. And this song can’t even start the tiniest fire. Nuff said. Ditto for JLo’s mumbo jumbo.

Rank #9 Shannon Magrane: Sacharine

What’s with these godawful song choices? (And why didn’t will Will iAm and Jimmy Iovine give Heejun the same advice on breathing?)

“One Sweet Day” could win Shannon some votes but not much. (Hollie has the soccer mom vote.) Randy can wave pompoms and do summersaults the whole night through; I don’t think many people are buying this song.

The thing is, Shannon’s pretty one-dimensional. There are no shades to her singing. Going soft on some notes doesn’t automatically give nuance to lyrics. Phrasing does that and she’s doing this by rote.

Shannon means “when I know you’re shining down on me from heaven” to be a highlight. I burst out laughing. What in god’s name does the shouting and the growl and the pounding arm have anything to do with heaven’s light?  I cannot fathom why a sweet sixteener in shorts emits the aura of a Rotary Club wife. And Shannon, never ever point a finger while singing a love song.

Rank#2 Colton Dixon: Is gonna break lots of hearts 

The last time Colton performed, Jimmy Iovine praised his emo-rock mojo but doubted if the young man had arrived at his truth. With “Broken Heart” he does. Or, at least, he gives a passable version of it.

A huge crowd of screaming daisies and cougars will want to believe Colton’s promise that “there is life after a broken heart” – preferably if they get the privilege of breaking his.

Does anyone notice more than a passing resemblance to Jim Carrey on a non-manic day? Colton vies with Phillip in the eye-candy department but emits a different, darker vibe.

Angst and Colton go together; those dark eyes can pierce through cynicism. It’s a good, effortless run all the way to “I know” and then he coasts with cool moves to rock the younger girls.

He gets a standing ovation from the audience, if not the judges who, Steven especially, probably wouldn’t recognize truth if it hit them right between the eyes.

I’m going to be catty and explain Tyler’s pique: you’re growing old, buddy mine, and scared of young turks. You can patronize Joshua but this young man here is real competition for the ladies’ loins. I can see that, even if young pups aren’t my kind of thing. (And Colton gets props for taking the criticism with grace.)

It’s not a masterclass in vocal technique but I’lll pick Colton’s brand of truth any time ahead of Joshua’s.  This is a rare example of how an unknown song could serve you better than a Top 40 hit. He’s easily safe and probably in a better position now.  He reminds me of Kris Allen’s slow run to the top.

Rank#6 Erika Van Pelt: Heaven’s Loss

Erika’s my kind of gal. She doesn’t carry Elise’s emotional garbage. She has a face the camera loves. And in the right get-up like tonight’s georgette (?) cape and pants, she really rocks.

It’s a pity she won’t win over the female voters. She’s way better than Hollie, just behind Jessica and Skylar on voice. Tonight, she delivers crisp vocals but over sings at points. But the others occupy clear niches and are seen as precocious young talents. Erika’s aplomb will scare off some women, which is sad because she’d be one heck of a great buddy.

Also, she should just have barreled through the last stanza of “Heaven”. The pause is awkward and dampens the energy needed for a big finish.  It would have worked better if instead of “when you’re lying here in my arms”, she just sang “when you’re here in my arms”. That compensates for the lost beat.

Erike might get the adult male viewers’ vote with her cool, rocker ‘tude. That slight grin and mischievous eyes are what any guy would want to accompany “keep me coming back for more.” Problem is, do male viewers actually vote or do they just groan into their beer mugs?

Bottom line: In danger and it’s a pity.

Rank# 1 Skylar Laine: Hungry like a wolf 

And tonight, that will make her zoom past Jessica.  That’s what our Pinay lacks – a clear knowledge of self and the fierce will to defend one’s identity. It’s even more impressive that Skylar does the latter without sliding into truculence. Let’s hear it for the southern gals.

She takes command of “Love Sneaking Up On You” from the get go, as she strides to “ Rainy Night, I’m All Alone/ Sittin’ Here Waitin’ For Your Voice on the Phone/ Fever Turns to Cold, Cold Sweat / Thinkin’ About the Things We Ain’t Done yet”

It’s almost too bold a song for an 18-year old: “You might as well try to Stop the Rain/ Or stand in the tracks of a Runaway Train/ You just can’t fight it when a thing’s meant to be/ So come on let’s finish what you started with me” But most eighteeners aren’t Skylar and for all the cloying, simpering displays of Lauren Alaina, the Mississippi is a place where people grow up early.

This is true grit and Skylar owns the night.

Rank#7 Joshua Ledet: Love can’t conquer all

Joshua comes back to his three-hanky home turf, takes on every fallen macho man’s anthem and, say the judges, makes believers of most of viewers.

Except me. Sorry, my musical taste runs to more roughage than Joshua will ever have. Also,  I abhor histrionics and just don’t understand why shrieks should accompany  “When a man loves a woman/ Can’t keep his mind on nothing else/ He’ll trade the world/ For the good thing he’s found/ If she’s bad he can’t see it/ She can do no wrong/ Turn his back on his best friend/ If he put her down…When a man loves a woman/ Spend his very last dime/ Tryin’ to hold on to what he needs/ He’d give up all his comfort/Sleep out in the rain/ If she said that’s the way it ought to be.”

Growls, yes. Howls of pain, maybe, but not shrieks. What’s wrong with a good ‘ol primal scream?

I don’t know what the live audience hears.  (Jimmy Iovine said he believed every second of Joshua, “felt I was in his house”.) From across the TV screen it feels more like a woman having a nervous breakdown.  Or threatening to serve up devilled men’s eggs. That run after “please, don’t treat me bad” is enough to prompt any man or woman to get the hell out of Joahua’s house.

This song is all about what Hercule Poirot calls “calamitous attraction” in one Agatha Christie novel. Or, in more graphic terms, the kind of love that causes Tom Jones to butcher Delilah: “I could see, that girl was no good for me/ But I was lost like a slave that no man could free… She stood there laughing/ I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more”. No Idol contestant should ever sing it, but it’s actually the better song in terms of show, don’t preach.

The main problem with Joshua and his song: There’s no showing, it’s all preaching. Human love, unfortunately, rarely makes us want to stomp on the floors of heaven.

I think viewers will surprise the judges (again) on this one.

Rank#3 Hollie Cavanagh: A song she can chomp on 

Tinker Bell goes to the prom. Okay, so much for Hollie’s fashion sense. Now, to song choice and performance.

I do not like Celine Dion. And I do not like the “Power of Love”.  Personal taste notwithstanding, I have to give the little princess big points for finally choosing a song that matches her voice and personality.

Basically, it’s a love song of little subtlety. That’s why I hate it. But that’s why it’s perfect for Hollie. It showcases her greatest asset, that powerful voice, without calling attention to her greatest weakness – the lack of emotional depth. It’s loud and louder and high and higher. And she slays it. I may not like her style but understand why a lot of people do. Hollie is like the angel atop your Christmas tree. She’s about glitter and dazzle and she should stick to that. Song difficulty is a big enough risk factor. She skates past that, she’s home free. She’s definitely bringing it home tonight.

*A word of caution to Fil-Ams. I’ve seen a lot of very ungracious comments on youtube –targets are Skylar and Hollie. Understandable; they represent the greatest threats to Jessica. But the vitriol doesn’t do Jessica any justice, just as the attacks against Miss Algeria didn’t do Shamcey any favors. Let’s not be known as a bitter, petty people. That could backfire on our gal. Give credit where it’s due. We’re proud of Jessica but she must make it on her own merits, not because of her color or place of origin. — Update (and apologies). I made a factual boo-boo. It was Miss Angola, Leila Lopes, who won the Miss Universe title the year Shamcey competed. Thank you, Bombet Cabrera for the correction. Silly me; I’d written a blog about that contest.

Forecast: Skylar, Hollie, Jessica still safe, with Colton and Phillip. A maybe for Joshua, Erika and Elise. Shannon, also a maybe but could be hurt by the fact that Hollie has the moms. Heejun and Deandre in danger. I think Heejun will stay on a bit. Deandre in real jeopardy… but Elise and Shannon, too. (Yeah, despite Randy loving them.)

March 15, 2012March 16, 2012 by Inday Espina-Varona Categories: music, reality shows, ReviewsTags: American Idol 2012, Colton Dixon, DeAndre Brackensick, Erika Van Pelt, Heejun Han, Hollie Cavanagh, Jessica Sanchez, JLo, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Skylar Laine 10 Comments

A personal appeal to PDI (or, When is an apology not an apology?)

Dear friends from the Philippine Daily Inquirer,

If I ruffle some feathers, forgive me in advance. Take this as a letter of protest from the daughter of a woman felled by stroke and the colleague of many journalists who’ve suffered the same.

My Nanay was a beautiful woman with the classic Asian face, a perfect oval with high cheekbones and a firm chin. She was not prone to dramatics. She did not need that; her eyes – and her words – guaranteed people listened to her, even when they did not want to. She was the nurturer in the family, the doctor content to walk behind her journalist-husband. Then stroke felled Nanay and forced her into a slow, year-long recovery. There was a period of hope before a series of smaller but successive strokes weakened her to the point of now return.

So I have seen, up close and personal, the anger and frustration of a recovering stroke patient, seen the rage that erupts now and then when memories of strength and brilliance and eloquence crash against the formidable bars of a new reality. I saw Dad dive into the reversal of roles, never resenting the tantrums from a woman he had long regarded as a saint. I saw him cry silently when Nanay slept, not because he was tired — though he was — but because he saw how she suffered – even with her vaunted humility.

And then I see your FRONT PAGE. A series of pictures that, forgive me, seem to exist for nothing else but to make a laughing stock of Demetrio Vicente.

I have tried to look at the photos from different angles, hoping to see some significance that would make your action more understandable. I see absolutely no extenuating circumstance.

Then you give us a one-paragraph “apology”, which isn’t that at all. You apologize for hurting people’s feelings. You do not apologize for bad judgment and taste better fit for the gutter.

You conveniently forget to cite what great and noble cause prompted you to chuck out the admonition of the PDI Stylebook. That sacred document clearly states that you must weigh every controversial photo and ensure that, “the positive reasons for publishing the photos outweigh the almost certain negative reaction they will elicit from a sizeable portion of the readership.”

If you totally forgot about this document, then please  say so.

Today’s “sin” is not, in the scheme of things, equal to plunder or murder by government officials. Not by a long shot. But journalists, whom people look up to for help in parsing oft-befuddling facts of life, do have an obligation not to unnecessarily compound the chaos they feel.

Stroke, friends, is among the top killers in this country. Your newspaper has reported on this – second only to heart attack. The survivors face horrendous challenges on the road to recovery. And some never do fully recover.

Even if just on account of all our parents, kin, lovers, colleagues – and you have had one heart-wrenching case that galvanized the goodwill of this nation – and with the thought that all of us may, one day, face the same hardships visited on Mr. Vicente, please summon the grace for a genuine apology.

You see, there is no shame in admission of an error. There is only honor there. Conversely, there can be no pride in false “I Am Sorry’s”. The last thing you want is comparison to a certain woman with a neck brace.

Peace.

March 14, 2012March 14, 2012 by Inday Espina-Varona Categories: Essays, media criticismTags: CMFR, Demetrio Vicente. Philippine Daily Inquirer, incidence of stroke in the Philippines, media ethics, stroke, Stylebook 118 Comments

Jessica Sanchez, giant slayer: American Idol 2012 Final 13

What do I do with Jessica Sanchez? First, she just has to sing my musical pet peeve. Then she forces me to eat humble pie.

When people aren’t butchering it, “I Will Always Love You” is a song of haunting beauty. Yes, it’s the mother of all musical clichés. But clichés are born when someone plumbs a universal truth and then distills this into an expression so recognizable, so undisputable, that the rest of us simply adopt it.Most wannabes shriek when they do a Houston. Jessica is not Whitney. She’s a petite Asian sylph, not a statuesque African-American goddess. She obeys Jimmy Iovine’s advice to go easy on the vibrato, holds the notes steady – causing Mary J. Blige to yelp! – and then glides to the finish, eyes blazing with hunger and no small amount of steel.

Up until the last line, she and Skylar Laine are about even. Then Sanchez sweeps away memories of all those power runs in a magical ending with three of the longest, most dulcet notes ever heard on the idol stage. As the last one glides into some tropical Paradise dream, the camera caresses Jessica’s face, with its sideways glance and triumphant smile, the arched neck showing off that strong jaw. Contrast is part of Jessica’s allure. Part diwata, part gamine. When the audience starts cheering, she is once more a kid, hands-over-mouth giddy, all of 16 and stunning now that she’s ditched the big hair and tacky matronly outfits. Mom ought to give the stylists a big blowout – that royal blue column and that very natural make-up highlight her strengths. Here is Eve of the Orient before the fall, with a prescience that hints at the blend of joy and sorrow that are every woman’s birthright. (And just about every adult male will tell you the nose-wrinkling just adds to the charm. )

Bottom line: #1 It’s still karaoke but you tell me how to turn this warhorse upside down and I’ll filch the Idol trophy for you. If this is karaoke, I’ll take it like vitamins. Next time, I want her to turn a song inside out and then strut around in jeans and show everyone she can blast us with a teen anthem.

Rank #2 For originality, 18-year old feisty ‘lil mama Skylar Laine gets top marks, reconfiguring the hokey “Where Do Broken Hearts Go?” into a country anthem. She starts with a piquant, heavy nasal twang that works because of impeccable phrasing. Laine builds up into what’s probably the female equivalent of a war cry. It starts with a growled threat (“I’ll never let you go”) and bursts into something so irrepressible I’m tempted to stand on a chair and whoop for this pocket Venus.

There isn’t a shrill note here; it’s all power welling up from the place that birthed the chi. About time American red-state radio features someone who’s not solely about broken hearts (Willie Nelson doesn’t count; he’s an immortal.). Dolly’s growing old; there’s need for a heroine not quite bent over with angst. Laine’s almost an archetype, the sturdy pioneer woman who can dispassionately dissect assorted setbacks but capable now and then of a primal scream. When faced with trouble, you’ll want this woman by your side. And this is AMERICAN Idol. Never estimate the power of values in the US of A.

She should keep the big hair – and those hoop earrings with saucer-like dimensions. The Idol fashion gods did her a big favor with that white jacket over a black knit tank bedecked with gold trim, all atop slim, patterned jodhpurs. I can’t recommend a song for the skylark but she seems to have unerring musical sense anyway. Maybe, “Mississippi goddamn.” Imagine if this self-confessed “redneck”pulls off a Nina Simone song!

Bottom line: I’m having a hard time choosing between Sanchez and Laine. In in terms of showcasing songs, the Filipino-American has the advantage. When it comes to emotional authenticity, I think Laine has an edge. But what a lovely thought – a finals with these two women.

Rank #3 Philip Phillipsis a tantalizing mix of boy-next-door looks coupled with the scruffy charm of a young Bruce (more “dirt” than Dave Matthews). It’s too early in the game to see if he has the same depth. But he rocked out “Superstition” and showed ferocity absent in his earlier performances. What a liberating howl that is! There’s a secret crazy in this shy guy and you kinda get why he and Heejun are such good buddies.

Bottom line: I doubt there’ll ever be another David Cook on Idol but Phillips brings his own brand of excitement to a show that sometimes deteriorates into pageantry.

Rank #4 Colton Dixon doesn’t have the best male voice in Idol’s Season. He does have the young girls’ votes. (Honest now, you think the tweens would vote for Jeremy? They’ll go for this glamorous but not-quite-so-scary older guy. Hmmmm, that makes me ancient.)

Colton picks well and does justice to Stevie Wonder’s “Lately” by singing it his way. That’s emo rock for you, a tad less gritty than what David Cook dished out but with more edge than Kris Allen and Lee Dewyze.

Randy Jackson is right, there are a couple of shaky low notes – when he sings, “strangest feeling” in the first line. But there’s something of the wounded young wolf in the deep-set eyes of the surviving Dixon sibling, and that’s proven tempting to women through the ages. Even the skunk hair sort of grows on you and his lean lines just add to the slightly grungy charm. David Cook he ain’t but that sweet falsetto that surprises in the end is as effective in the age of the metrosexual as any full-blown rock howl.

Bottom line: Bilge is spot on. Colton doing Colton is the best guarantee of a good showing.

Rank #5 “I Wish” Joshua Ledet’s hands don’t flip around so much. But other than that, there’s nothing wrong with his snappy ditty. Vocally, he’s way ahead of the rest of the guys. The scatting is flawless. He has rhythm but doesn’t quite relax to the beat. There is a mincing pattern as he moves across the stage towards the band.

Ledet obviously can move but lacks the funk, which is a little bit like salsa in that you need to tighten up the limb before shaking it loose.

Bottom line: If just 5% of Reed’s wackiness seeps into Joshua it will be praise-the-lord-take-it-to-heaven with this lovable talent. I love gospel but he shouldn’t go all-out churchy on Idol.

Rank #6 The thing with Erika Van Pelt is, I feel happy when she sings. Yeah, even when she’s not giving it her all, as Jennifer oft complains. Besides, over-singing is dangerous for someone with the power and grit of Erika. You want to serenade the audience and then make them gasp; you do not bludgeon your way into an Idol crown.

She delivers “I Believe in You and Me” with depth and intelligence. No unnecessary movements and bombast. The face and the voice combine in a narrative arc with a maturity perfect for the song. There are equal amounts of wryness and serenity and that means more than cheap theatrics.

Bottom line: My only complaint really is her dress sense. I don’t think she’ll win, unless the younger women fall under the pressure of this competition, but we should have a couple more weeks to enjoy this artist.

Rank #7 Heejun Han will never be able to enunciate English properly, not in time for the Idol finals. Let’s get over that. Then again, fewer Amerasians can boast of the blend of dutiful-son-rakish-pal charm that seeps through Heejun’s every pore. And really, he does have a good voice — not as unique as the top male contenders this year, more like the slower rush of deeper waters.

He doesn’t try to showboat with “All In Love Is Fair”. What he does serve up — a wistful meditation on love’s ironies — should appeal to a lot of tender souls.

Bottom line: He won’t be American Idol, but he’ll probably the next sitcom star. And there were some camera angles here that make me think he could be one heck of an Asian romantic lead, one who make girls laugh and then gasp in a split second.

Rank #8 DeAndre Brackensick has a much better voice than Heejun, certainly a broader range. He also has sexy, feline moves, that gorgeous hair and a face as beautiful as it is male (no matter his sexual preference, of which I know nothing about).

Only an idiot would make a mess of “Master Blaster” and DeAndre isn’t that. But while he burned up the stage, it was a performance too calculated for the reggae beat and social themes of his song: “Everyone’s feeling pretty/ It’s hotter than July/ Though the world’s full of problems/ They couldn’t touch us even if they tried/ From the park I hear rhythms/ Marley’s hot on the box/ Tonight there will be a party/ On the corner at the end of the block… You would be jammin’ and jammin’ and jammin’, jam on/ They want us to join their fighting/ But our answer today/ Is to let all our worries”

I was expecting a joyous fox and got, well, Glee. That’s not bad. Just not good enough.

Bottom line: He should stop singing too pretty, DeAndre should. Not be too precious. Be a bit more of a devil.

Rank #9 Don’t holler y’all. Hollie Cavanagh may have the huge notes but, to quote Bette Davis, the young woman’s emotional depth goes from A to B. I prefer singers who showcase context and nuance.

It’s not just because Hollie’s like white bread dunked in milk. She smiles at the strangest moments in “All The Man I Need”, makes out like she’s following a sick, green videoke ball. And in the parts where passion ought to be bubbling all over, her face is blank, just blank.

That little girly doll dress is cute but what Hollie needs is gravitas. But she’s blonde and pretty, so…

Bottomline: Anybody who can sleepwalk through “Reflection” won’t be taken seriously in this corner. She’ll go through but should choose songs about sunshine and summertime (aaah, that’s a good one, she should do the Faith Hill song) and maybe some of those more wistful hymns.

And I won’t talk about the rest, except to wish Jermaine Jones the best of luck. He did better than Jeremy Rosado but the latter probably has more young fans.

March 8, 2012March 8, 2012 by Inday Espina-Varona Categories: music, reality shows, ReviewsTags: American Idol 2012, Colton Dixon, DeAndre Brackensick, Erika Van Pelt, Heejun Han, Hollie Cavanagh, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Skylar Laine 8 Comments

All agog about GAGO

It’s not your IQ; it’s what you do with it.

That is not an original line. Our late Nanay used that when any of her offspring tried to coast along, take shortcuts or humiliate people. I’ve had much cause to remember her wise words during the past few weeks.

All the actors in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona are intelligent. Their education pedigrees leave me envious. Their CVs hint at wealth earned by dint of gray matter and, presumably, hard work.  And yet week after week, we see them acting like boors or engaging in antics that call into question the definition of “honorable”.

The defense counsels staged a tantrum over charges they could not substantiate, a display of bad taste and judgment matched only by social media bully Judd Roy’s appetite for phallic symbols. The righteous prosecution has no qualms about using illegally obtained information. When in a bind, they peddle tall tales that insult our intelligence.

And then there are the mighty judges of the impeachment court.

We’ve seen the cavalier treatment of witnesses in numerous investigations launched by the Senate and the House of Representatives. The senators have carried this over — exaggerating their cheap theatrics – to the Corona impeachment trial. Sen. Jinggoy Estrada smirks while joking about “half-Filipinos”, a racist reference to the accent of a Megaworld executive. Sen. Franklin Drilon has shown brilliance in catching the prosecution’s wayward balls, but has a bad habit of cutting off witnesses bearing inconvenient versions of the truth.

And then, there’s Sen. Miriam Santiago.

There’s a clear difference between shrill and hectoring. It’s one thing to criticize the prosecution’s litigation tactics — their lack of preparation and penchant for mistaking slogans as proof of evidence. It’s an altogether different story when you treat them likes slaves with no right to usage of their intellect.

Defensor-Santiago is not alone in her frustration. On Facebook and Twitter, you can see even staunch anti-Corona observers expressing disappointment over prosecution blunders, with some dropping strings of curse symbols. But they’re kibitzers, not “honorable” senator-judges. We expect high ethical standards of prosecutors who claim to be  white knights in the fight against evil. The same high standards apply to judges who will decide Corona’s fate.

I agree with much of Defensor-Santiago’s criticism of the prosecution. Some days, the feeling comes close to contempt and revulsion. But nothing excuses her paroxysms of rage or the abuse she heaps on fellow lawyers.

Photo by Alex Nueva España, Senate Pool (from abs-cbnnews.com)

It’s tempting to rail when prosecutors try to lead on witnesses or impeach their own. Rep. Niel Tupas wasn’t doing that when she tried to reduce him to the level of a student on the verge of flunking. And no reason on earth justifies calling anyone “gago” (idiot) in the middle of a trial.

This behavior is unfathomable because Defensor-Santiago has a vocabulary that leaves most of us breathless. The former editor of the UP Collegian can weave phrases and spin entire paragraphs in the amount of time it would take us to mutter sweet-Jesus- spare-us –from-the-wrath-of-hell.

I’ve heard jokes about the terrors of law school. Strict is one thing, abusive is another. What kind of lawyers, lawmakers and judges do we churn out if they’re made to live like masochists for years? The abused child most often visits the crime on the next generation. And we wonder why this country keeps slip-sliding like a drunk whose only thought is that of the next thirst-quenching gulp.

Santiago’s acts, however, do not excuse lawyer Vitallano Aguirre. (He has also exhibited less-than-stellar ethics in the scuttled effort to pin Corona on grounds the he tattled confidential court matters — prosecuting on a matter involving his interests and those of his client. He tried to present a very selective version of the truth and, when this could not be arranged, opted for default.) 

In the “gago” incident, he was caught covering his ears. When asked, he expressed defiance, presenting himself the protector of his hapless prosecution colleagues — a posture that further reduces Tupas to a sniveling, pitiful waif. That earned him a contempt citation and some of us proclaim him a hero.

I cannot fathom the games people play. How hard is it to stand up and, in polite language, point out Miriam’s unacceptable behavior to the presiding officer and seek redress? Politeness would have shown her up for the bully she is. Instead, Aguirre plays the game of one-upmanship. And we hear the refrain, serves her right.

That’s not what Nanay taught us. There was another line she liked: Those who think themselves enlightened should display matching behavior.

And there’s the major cause of this country’s problems. We rail against injustice. We condemn short-cuts. We fulminate against abuse of power. And then we turn around and do the same things all over again.

It’s very tribal – and that’s an insult to tribes. It reduces our democracy to a battle among playground bullies. Kill all those who won’t come to our side.

We insist on slapstick and simplistic solutions. It’s a never ending settling of IOUs and payback against others. And the saddest thing is we, the Bosses, allow these honorable public servants to drag us into internecine wars for spoils.

March 1, 2012March 4, 2012 by Inday Espina-Varona Categories: Essays, politicsTags: accountability, bullies, corona impeachment trial, ethics, miriam santiago, Philippine politics, philippine senate, Philippines, rep niel tupas 14 Comments

Negros Quake — IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE

I know “lucky” is not a word used with a casualty count of 40 — and counting. That figure, from 302nd Brigade chief, Col. Francisco Zosimo Patrimonio Jr. does not yet include La Libertad, another town near the epicenter of today’s Negros Oriental quake.

So far, the hardest hit area is Guihulngan City, a laidback community with the sea on one side and the mountains on the other. But that’s because the quake, which measured 6.9 in Negros Oriental, damaged roads and bridges leading to La Libertad. Patrimonio said only Navy boats can access that town. They weren’t able to send that many rescue teams by later afternoon. As night fell, some Bayan Patrollers were reporting the start of heavy rains there.

It’s bad. There are incessant aftershocks. Phivolcs says these could continue for a week or more. Because big quakes leave the surrounding plates unstable, some aftershocks can be strong.

With La Niña bringing in a cold front — and rain — there will be short-term misery. Unlike incidents of floods, where schools and churches on higher ground open their gates and doors to evacuees, one doesn’t quite know where to go for shelter in Negros Oriental. After all, everybody is scrutinizing homes and buildings for cracks. Aftershocks could also further weaken structures that already sustained earlier damage.

As bad as the situation seems now, however, it could have been worse.

Five beach cottages where swept away by higher-than-usual sea levels in La Libertad. Some coastal homes experienced flooding. But while there was a Tsunami Alert 2, the location of the quake spared the province from greater devastation.

The towns near the epicenter face the narrow Tañon Strait that separates the island from nearby Cebu. It just takes an hour, sometimes less depending on the crossing, to cross that body of water. There isn’t much volume or space for the deadly tsunami build-up. That’s why NDRRMC’s Benito Ramos said what happened was just a minor rise in sea levels — though one preceded by some receding of water, which frightened locals.

Ramos also mentioned Siaton town — which is actually on the other side of Dumaguete City, going towards southern Negros Occidental. Now, had a strong quake occurred off  Siaton or Bayawan and Sta Catalina towns in Negros Oriental, or the most southernmost area on the Occidental side (Hinobaan), the outcome would have been very different.

These areas face the Sulu Sea and there’s a huge empty space between that part of Negros — and Sandakan, in East Malaysia!

The Sulu Sea boasts some of the world’s deepest trenches. which could only allow water to gain more force. Wiki states:

“Tectonic earthquakes are a particular kind of earthquake that are associated with the Earth’s crustal deformation; when these earthquakes occur beneath the sea, the water above the deformed area is displaced from its equilibrium position.^[19] More specifically, a tsunami can be generated when thrust faults associated with convergent or destructive plate boundaries move abruptly, resulting in water displacement, owing to the vertical component of movement involved. Movement on normal faults will also cause displacement of the seabed, but the size of the largest of such events is normally too small to give rise to a significant tsunami.”

As the Encyclopædia Britannica points out, the  260,000-sq km sea “fills a downfaulted block, in some places almost 18,400 feet (5,600 meters) deep, the edges of which are seen in the bordering islands.” The lush coral atolls of the Cagayan Islands, the Tubbataha Reefs actually represent “a fracture line that bisects the sea from northeast to southwest”.

Of course, scientists will tell us that not all strong quakes cause deadly tsunamis. There are many factors involve. The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration notes:

“Predicting when and where the next tsunami will strike is currently impossible. Once the tsunami is generated, forecasting tsunami arrival and impact is possible through modeling and measurement technologies.” (boldface mine)

MSNBC photo, Aceh tsunami aftermath

There is something about the primal force of water that sends man scurrying more than, say, upheavals on land. (And even on land, as we in this country know too well, the greatest devastation is almost always also connected with water.) In the aftermath of the Aceh quake of December 26, 2004, “tsunami killed about 130,000 people close to the earthquake and about 58,000 people on distant shores. ” The Japan quake last year did not kill people, but the tsunami it generated destroyed a nuclear plant and killed close to 16,000 people.

Nobody, contrary to all those tweets and Facebook posts, can really forecast earthquakes. Humans are lucky, however, that advanced and cost-effective technology is available to allow tsunami alerts. Whether the warning comes fast enough, however, is another story.

Forty dead and counting is bad news from any angle. The cosmic roll of dice, however, could have made for a truly nightmarish situation.

February 6, 2012February 6, 2012 by Inday Espina-Varona Categories: Disasters, Events, UncategorizedTags: benito ramos, guihulngan, hinobaan, jimalalud, la libertad, NDRRMC, negros oriental quake, Philippines, philvolvs, sulu sea, tsunami 4 Comments