The team of Jong Hilario, Kim Chiu, and Ion Perez won this year's Magpasikat segment in It's Showtime. Now Kim and Ion have one bragging right for being a Magpasikat champion and for Jong ... this is his third time ... being a champion is not new or alien to him.
Indeed the message of their production dissects the harmful effects of using cell phones and social media. It advocates the responsible ways of using them and as Anne Curtis and Pia Wurtzback said about our licentious freedom to comment on practically everything on the internet without an iota of knowledge on how your comments affect your target: "Think before you click."
Their production harnessed the Terpsichorean skills of the three protagonists... and their dance routines communicated their ideas through movements and were a potent medium ... and an expressive art form. Their athletic abilities were made as a tool to squeeze and allow their messages to come out vividly and express their creativity with graceful and precise body movements. Ion was a newbie but he held his own candle vis-a-vis the Sample King and ASAP Queen of the dancefloor.
Their production also utilized drama to further make a cohesive crisscrossing of the three stories. It shows us poignant slices and vignettes of life (as we know it) as a trilogy of sorts ... it was juxtaposed tightly cascading in the screen one after another.
Jong's part shows he was frustrated to know he had good news for his family ... (he was promoted in his work) but it looked like sharing the good news with them is mission impossible. It seemed that his wife and children were glued to their cellphones (magkasama sila sa bahay but Jong failed miserably to penetrate the thick wall that separates them. Their constant search for "what is the latest in gossip ... or their quest to make thousands of friend requests and their insatiable appetite to get more likes and hearts was given preferential treatment and importance over his good news.
Then the segment showed Jong playing and horsing around with his real daughter ... ended with the much-needed oomph when he was practically begging for his daughter to give them time and open communication when she grows up. Jong loves to be remembered for his funny one-liners in Showtime ... little did he realize he is effective in delivering dramatic lines ... tagos sa puso ... may kirot ...and he hits it bullseye. His best line was when he said: "Magkasama nga tayo pero hindi nagpapansinan ... Di ba ang cellphone ay para tayo ay pag-ugnayin ...hindi paghihiwalayin? Kausapin naman ninyo ako."
In Showtime Kim's personality is pa-cute ... and when she giggled and laughs - very infectious. Pero nanggugulat siya in her tirade ... and if you are not ready and you don't have enough ammunition to reply to her witty remarks ... dehado ka at masasapawan ka niya. The other day she was talking to Direk Olivia Lamasan na parang naglalambing. " Inang may bukas pa at kami iyon. Hinay-hinay lang sa pagbigay ng papuri in its superlative degree, Baka bukas wala ka nang matirang adjectives para sa amin ... something to that effect. Kung iba yon baka natengga na ang isip at wala nang masabi. She can be razor-sharp with her repartee and her hosting skills has been honed and polished with the passing of time.
The same can be said with her acting skills. She can shed a tear or two right on cue and deliver long lines like a pro. When she talks to her dad in this segment her voice cracks... and tears start welling in her eyes.Her monologue: "Kailangan ba magkunyari para magkaluwag sa buhay? Para lang makapagbigay sa pamilya ... kailangan bang mangtapak ng iba? Gipit lang ako ..." is haunting and is giving me goose bumps.
In Ion's case, his situation was almost the same as Paula Jamie Salvasa - the Amalayer girl several years ago where she was caught on video berating a security guard at a train station. Just like Amalayer girl ... Ion was in the wrong place at the wrong time -and was also caught on video from the wrong angle ... and social media was not kind as expected.
The bullying commenced on social media and by the second day it was a 24-7 demolition and became viral. If you compare it to the war on Gaza ... there was a carpet bombing ... not a single area was spared. It looked like a conspiracy ... as everybody from Aparri to Jolo agreed to contribute and say the most cruel and bitter criticism they could think of. The bandwagon mentality again showed its ugly fangs as everybody joined forces to maintain a non-stop noise barrage of name-calling in print. A ceasefire ... or a break is not in their vocabulary as hostilities have not simmered even for a minute to allow him a breathing space.
Cancel culture looks like his crucifixion. When Ion said: "Ang hirap palang ma-cancel. Sisikat na nga lang ako ... sa mali pang paraan. Hindi ako cellphone ... na gagamiting ninyo lang para sa ikasaya ninyo. Tao ako!!!! in my memory bank that monologue was heart-rending but excruciatingly disturbing. Ion's emotions were almost palpable. Nararamdaman ang sakit ... tumatalab at nanunoot to the bulalo!
The attitude of Jong and Kim allowing Ion to get the meaty role is a testament to It's Showtime's generous and magnanimous treatment of the newbies. They did that Ryan Bang last year ... and this year it was Ion's turn.
When Bong Navarro asked Vice if he was proud of Ion ... he did not mince a word. Allow me to quote the words of Vice Ganda who has too much to say regarding Ion's personal life which has parallelism with his story in this prod and also with that of Amalayer girl.
Vice started: "Araw-araw kasama ko yan di ba? Alam ko kung paano siya sinasaktan ng social media. Everyday he is being judge ... kung ano siya ... kung saan siya galing ... kung paano siya magsalita ... kung anong klaseng relasyon meron siya. Everyday he is being judge ... araw-araw lumalaban yan ,,, araw-araw nasasaktan ... Hindi ninyo alam kung ano ang epekto nito kay Ion ... at sa akin ... hindi ninyo alam ... ang alam ninyo lang ay kung ano ang nakita ninyo ... pero hindi talaga ninyo alam... " That was a very poignant scene coming from the heart. Vice knows how to push the right buttons judging from the lachrymose response from the audience as they showed enough balls to weep and cry in national TV.
Talking about the negative effects of cell phones on the human race I wish they could have incorporated "smartphone zombies" into the production (napaka-demanding ko naman but you can't blame me because I saw the accident right before my eyes ... which could have been avoided if we started sounding the alarm bells right on the get-go.) It is high time we start a nationwide campaign and awareness of how cell phones destroy our lives and teach the netizens that our safety comes first before anything else.
Let us spread also this awareness: The life you save ... is maybe your own!
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