It’s a glorious time once again to be a Filipino! The choices, the responsibility… there’s a whiff, nay, a gust of nationalism in the air.
If it will move Filipinos out of apathy into being dissatisfied with the status quo and working towards greater freedom– freedom not meant as anarchy but as a possibility to live a better life through better choices– rapping on national tv (when one can’t even bear to do it within the confines of one’s bedroom) is such a small price to pay. And so yours truly jumped at the chance not only to repreZent OAM but also everything that is good in this country to be part of Patricia Evangelista’s brainchild “Ako Ang Simula” music video that has director Paolo Villaluna at the reins. With Ira Zabat’s lyrics and Mike Villegas’ music, it’s surefire to be powerful.
“Ako Ang Simula,” loosely translated, means “It starts with me.” Everyone’s in the video: young and old, manual laborers, call center agents and top-tier executives, artists, musicians and writers, shy and brazen, rich and poor… all vanguards of national pride, all firmly declaring that it starts them. It’s not naivete, it’s a real call for help exquisitely packaged. Can you say, “What are you gonna do about it?” Something like that. The work is free of any scheme and political overtones which is wonderfully ironic because it’s precisely about “the vote.” Having first seen the light of day last Saturday, the video will telecast well into next year. Its aim, it’s plain to see, is to promote socio-cultural consciousness among Filipinos so we get to think long and hard about consequences and possibilities, and can we do it please by starting with who we place at the helm of this country?? 