From motion to movement, Gary V sings against human trafficking
As girls, we are always warned about the dangers of venturing out alone, letting our guard down, talking to strangers. As young women, we naturally want to break away from Little Red Riding Hood restrictions and experience the world on our own terms, unfettered and free. We want to backpack through Europe with our friends or take a road trip across the country, or even just attend a crazy rock concert. We can still do such things, and we should, but with much more awareness of what’s going on in our environment.
“I heard that 100,000 people, mostly girls, are abducted each year and sold as sex slaves,” says Gary Valenciano, who is holding a series of awareness concerts called Soul in Motion for the benefit of Compassion 2 One, an international organization whose mission it is to rescue children around the world from sexual exploitation. Gary’s been a longtime Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, and this new partnership brings together UNICEF’s resources with Compassion 2 One’s know-how and on-the-ground expertise.
The movie Taken, which my mom always uses as a cautionary tale every time I’m about to travel on my own, is apparently based on a true story, one without the triumphant Hollywood ending. The real-life military father actually lost his daughter, who was abducted and dragged all over Asia as a sex slave. Although she was killed, the father managed to rescue her best friend and 31 others in the process of tracking the abductors down. Gary says this man will soon be visiting the Philippines to speak about human trafficking and show scenes from the movie that actually took place.
“The concert is very timely,” Gary says. “One of the most powerful things I can do on the stage aside from sing and dance is to speak about the things that are of concern to me.” He believes the concert-going people, the young girls, belong to the bracket of society who would benefit most from this kind of information. Recently, Gary received a text from UNICEF saying that kidnappings in the country have gone up to an “alarming” level. Not much is being said about it, perhaps because these aren’t the usual high-profile kidnap-for-ransom scenarios. These children and girls just disappear. Born into poverty, sometimes they are sold by their own parents.
Angeli Valenciano personally connects with the victims of abuse, recounting how none of her siblings wanted to continue the profitable family business of manpower recruitment because they didn’t believe in separating families, sending off women as OFWs and leaving their husbands behind with their daughters in one small room. “Trafficking is profitable because you can use one person again and again, unlike drugs, which is a limited supply.” she explains. “A 14-year-old girl will be used up to 20 times a day, can you imagine that?” It’s also one of the reasons for the increase in the incidence of HIV and AIDS.
“We’re exposing something that people need to know,” says Gary. “People have asked, ‘Is it going to be an inspirational type of concert?’ I can’t do a concert if I’m not inspired. These are songs that get me moving physically, spiritually and emotionally, and hopefully this will get people moved to take the extra step.”
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“Gary V: Soul in Motion” will be performed at the Music Museum on Sept 17, 22, 23, 29 and 30. For ticket inquiries call Ticketworld at 891-9999 or Music Museum at 721-6726.
