Another Pinoy on "American Idol"?

CEBU, Philippines - If the newest season of “American Idol,” which is airing on the Q Channel, is creating a big buzz among Filipino fans, it’s because of the contender named Andrew Garcia.

In the previous American Idol seasons, Filipino viewers of the world’s most popular reality TV singing search have always been on the lookout for a hopeful with Pinoy roots, and the last one was Ramiele Malubay in the 2008 edition.

Now thanks to Garcia’s given name and familiar features, a lot are asking if he is Filipino-American.

Well, is he or is he not?

According to a forum dedicated to Garcia on AmericanIdol.com, he is not. He is Mexican-American, but his Filipino connections apparently run deep. He is married to a Filipina, is good friends with popular online Filipino-American artists, and has, in fact, participated in fund-raising activities in the US for the victims of Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng last year.

And one of his favorite female artists? The Pinoy teen sensation Charice Pempengco.

Garcia is still in the running to be next American Idol, after getting his sufficient share from among the 27 million “American Idol” votes that decided on who would move on to the Final 16.