Let’s join forces for PDA’s Cebuano scholar Van

Funny because my friend Jonald Raganas, who is among our proofreaders, once asked me months ago as to what will I do if it would be Van and Sen who would battle it out on expulsion night and I replied that hopefully it won’t happen because I like them both because they got the looks. Aha, so shallow?

Anyway, Jonald’s question is happening now, but I’m rooting for Van, being the representative of Cebu. Also, I did not like the way Sen kidded Van last Monday night, telling the latter to take a voluntary exit. Well, was that joke necessary? If it is said that jokes are always half-meant, so did Sen think that he deserves to remain in the Academy more than Van? And what made him think that he is better than Van? Was it his style of discouraging Van? Or was it his insecurity showing already?

Now the question is, how can Sen deserve the title when he is at the bottom of the ranking now? The top three have been so far consistent in maintaining their respective places ever since the grades were revealed. And honestly I don’t see Van ending up as the grand winner. Let’s face it: yes, the boy can sing, but his voice is mediocre compared to Zhel, Bugoy and Laarni, who aside from her angelic voice has a strong following among TFC subscribers. Laarni is a very strong contender to the title already.

Direk Joey Reyes said it well when he commented that Van has a grade of 6 out of 10 as far as his voice is concerned but his star factor exceeds the scale of 10, because what he has is 12. Direk Joey even added that Van “melts pantyliners” so much so who cares about the 6 when you have 12 for star factor? But me, I care! So I’m just being realistic.

I want to see Van part of Top 6, and that would be enough for me. After that, God’s will be done. After all, with a comment like that from Joey Reyes, Van’s future in show business is already in the bag, win or lose. I’m sure the powers that be in ABS-CBN are now cooking up Van’s first project after PDA. So, please let’s unite and save Van so that he will be part of Top 6. What happens next is up to God.

To do that, text PDA Van, send to 231 for Smart, Talk & Text and Addict Mobile subscribers and 2331 for Globe, Touch Mobile and Sun Cellular users. There is still ample time my fellow Cebuanos!

I intentionally watched the digital movie Eskandalo that starred Emilo Garcia, as a closet gay professor. It was out of curiosity that I viewed it because it was reported months ago that it was inspired by the “Cebu Black Suede Scandal.” While there are similarities to the said scandal, there are lots of differences as well—one is that in the movie, the perpetrator, who is a massage attendant (played by Andrew Schimmer) gets murdered, supposedly the doing of Emilio’s dad, who is a retired Army officer.

At 35, Benedicto (Emilio) remains a virgin and a closet gay because his dad is a disciplinarian being a military man and his mother is a conservative and religious  woman. The presentation of the story was okay, never dragging and never preachy. For me, it was never the scandal, which was the selling point of the movie but the message on the importance of open communication between parents and children; moreover, it was about acceptance and having the courage to admit one’s true sexuality. I like it very much because it also pointed out the importance of family and friends. When everybody around you judges and discriminates you, you have nobody to turn to but your family and true friends. The story reminds us of the cliché that it is during your lowest moments that you know who really loves and values you. React at [email protected]