An open letter to Filipino gays, bisexuals and transgenders

From Jonas Bagas. Please take the time to read. This is important.

A growing HIV epidemic is threatening our community.

I do not intend to pit HIV against other equally legitimate LGBT issues, such as same sex marriage or CBCP’s bigotry. But the epidemic demands our urgent action and our immediate attention . We need to act because no one else will until we do; we need to care because our solidarity and compassion are most needed now.

HIV is largely a hidden epidemic, and its scope will remain invisible until people undergo voluntary HIV testing and counseling. But the numbers that we are seeing are enough to give us a picture of what’s happening: more and more Filipino gays, bisexuals, other males who have sex with males (MSM), and transgenders (TGs) are getting infected with HIV. The prevalence has already reached more than 2% for our community, according to a survey that was done early 2011, though it is much higher in NCR, Cebu and Davao. 205 out of the 268 new cases that were reported last December – the highest in history – were due to unprotected male-to-male sex. That’s 7 new HIV cases a day that could be attributed to unprotected male-to-male sex. One could crudely assume that at least 7 MSM and TGs get infected everyday. (Download the December 2011 HIV and AIDS Registry)

Cold facts, but it doesn’t become real until it becomes personal. 2011 for me started with a number of friends getting tested positive. 2012 began with a news that a friend died months earlier, the circumstances pointing to an illness that cannot be named. He was the sixth person that I know who died because of AIDS-related diseases last year, the third in his own barkada. His was yet another case of late diagnosis. Like his other friends, once he started getting sick he simply disappeared and hid in his province. Within the community you’d hear nervous murmurings of friends or friends of friends who succumbed to the illness, their deaths swallowed by stigma and silence.

Yet we know that this shouldn’t be the case. HIV is preventable. There is no cure, but it is not a death sentence. I know that some of us feel uncomfortable talking about it, afraid that this would further discrimination and stigma. But our community is already stigmatized, and silence would only fuel the fear that has made it easy for the epidemic to fester. Silence would neither cure the stigma nor stop the virus.

Our best defense against the epidemic is our own community. We are, in a sense, each other’s family. While the love of our own family is irreplaceable, when love or understanding is difficult to find in our own homes, we find comfort and joy in the company of gay, bisexual, and transgender friends, from people like us, from our lesbian friends, from wonderful women – and men- in our midst. We are fellow travelers, our kinship strengthened by the reality that the journeys that we take are oftentimes not understood by many.

We take pride in our own resilience and strength – how we’ve confronted bullying in schools by striving to excel, how we’ve used our wit and diversity for our unique creations. We are brothers and sisters in this regard. We are known to fight back, to keep our heads high even when we’re deeply wounded, even when we feel alone.

But now we need that strength to care for each other. We actually know how we can stop the virus. We know that most cases are due to unprotected sex, and thus we need to teach ourselves how to practice safer sex. We know that treatment can save lives, and therefore knowing your status is important before it’s too late. We know that when necessary – and it will reach that point – those who have tested positive should get into treatment and other services that they would need for their entire lifetime.

Fear, however, oftentimes trumps evidence. Fear has gripped the lives of those who suddenly found the virus in their midst – there are those who feel that they lost their lust for life after knowing their status, that dark denial of life. I can never approximate how hard and how life-changing it must be to be HIV positive, but I am constantly inspired by stories from poz friends who affirm that life goes on, that life actually gets better, and that there are ways to make it better.

There will always be those who’d peddle fear as the solution to HIV, and we must be one in rejecting their doctrine. They would blame us, point to our ‘lifestyle’, and deny our existence: they would claim that their religion of fear is the only way to stop HIV. But we know what works and what doesn’t, and fear would only create the climate that would make it easy for the epidemic to explode.

Fear undermines our capacity to fight back. It creates an illusion, a source of false comfort for some, that this is a battle between those who are positive and those who are negative when in truth this is between us and the epidemic. We are actually all living with HIV. The sooner we realize that, the sooner we’d discover that with our collective strength, with our imagination and vast capacity for laughter, we shall prevail.

PLUS: Scared to take the test? If it could be of any help--here's how I went through it.

'If La Sallites can't read, Ateneans can't count'

That's the joke the venerable Larry Henares lobbed at the post-show Q&A of Rivalry: Ateneo-La Salle The Musical, the new musical production (music by Ed Gatchalian, lyrics by Joel Trinidad, book and direction by Jaime del Mundo) on the long-standing girian between the two schools that had its press preview last night at the Meralco Theater. (They're now called La Sallians, said Ed Gatchalian, but in 1968, which is the setting of the musical, the guys from Taft were still called La Sallites. And the girls they ran after, in competition with the Ateneans, were usually from Maryknoll, now Miriam College.)

My own first impressions of the show? These two tweets for now: 1) fun and quite inspired, a cause for revelry and good old-fashioned cheering in the theater. Mamma Mia? try the new homegrown musical, RIVALRY. 2) dear god, please keep NOEL TRINIDAD spry, healthy and able to do theater for many, many more years. what a joy he is in it. The bonhomie achieved by the show carried over to the Q&A. Here, a peek at that aftermath:



"Rivalry" runs January 27-March 11 at the Meralco Theater, with 8 p.m. shows every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 3 p.m. shows on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are available from TicketWorld (8919999) or Meralco Theater.

Regine The Kraken 2

New! Light of a Million Mornings--by way of her mind-scrambling, nosebleed-inducing vocal calisthenics. Previous to this, another hurricane number, Go The Distance. Halimaw siya.

Spotlight Artists Centre to revive Katy!, holds auditions Jan. 29

From Oliver Oliveros:

Ryan Cayabyab (music) and Jose Javier Reyes’ (book and lyrics) hugely successful original Filipino musical, “Katy!”, a musical based on the life and times of the “Queen of Philippine Jazz” Katy dela Cruz (1907-2004), is making its way back to the stage this year.

Acclaimed theater and recording artists-cum-performance teachers Isay Alvarez, Robert Seña, and Tricia Amper Jimenez’s Spotlight Artists Centre is reviving the musical, which premiered at the now-defunct Rizal Theater in 1989, and later transferred to the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Originally produced by Celeste Legaspi and Girlie Rodis, “Katy!” starred Mitch Valdez, Legaspi, Bernardo Bernardo and Marco Sison, directed by Nestor Torre.

Auditions for major roles, like Katy (25-40 years old); male lead (25-40 years old); and young Katy’s father (45-55 years old) will be held on Sunday, January 29.

Auditionees should prepare a song from the musical like “Minsan Ang Minahal Ay Ako,” “Sari-Saring Babae,” “Balut,” etc. or a jazz song. Call Yssa at (632)899-8089 or (63)922-8986644 for more information and registration requirements.

Inquirer editor in chief Letty Jimenez Magsanoc, in 1989 still writing a column for the paper, said of Katy! that its makers had succeeded in creating “the prototype for the Filipino musical.”

Well, 23 years after it had its premiere, the legendary musical will be back this year, thanks to the triumvirate of Robert Sena, Isay Alvarez and Tricia Amper-Jimenez, who last year also revived another landmark Filipino musical, Magsimula Ka. This early, thank you to Robert, Isay and Tricia's Spotlight Artists Centre for the effort to bring back the musical that, among other things, launched Ryan Cayabyab on the hugely consequential musical-theater phase of his career; was the inaugural offering of Celeste Legaspi and Girlie Rodis' now shuttered theater company Musical Theater Philippines (Musicat--a unique undertaking in that it was the only local theater company exclusively dedicated to commissioning and mounting original Filipino musical material); enriched the Pinoy songbook with classics like Minsan ang Minahal Ay Ako; and paid due tribute to Katy dela Cruz and the long-lost bodabil era she embodied.

For a peek at the music, spunk and spirit of Katy! you can check out this fully orchestrated, handsomely mounted excerpt from the Ryan Cayabyab: Music Man at 50 concert, which I had uploaded previously...

Or the video below, debuting on YouTube with this post--a piano-accompanied (by Mr. C himself) medley of three songs from the musical: Pahiram Ng Kanta (performed by Tex Ordonex), Sari-Saring Babae (Isay Alvarez, Pinky Marquez, May Bayot and Roy Rolloda) and Minsan Ang Minahal Ay Ako (Celeste Legaspi and Mitch Valdes in a rare joint appearance, and the entire cast of Buhay!, the culminating concert of the 2004 National Theater Festival held at the main theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Among the other performers: Robert Sena, Nonie Buencamino, Lou Veloso, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Sam Concepcion, Cathy Azanza-Dy, Noel Rayos, Jon Joven, Eugene Villaluz, and, as part of the ensemble, Melanie Dujunco, Angeli Bayani, Nazer Salcedo, Bong Embile, et al.)

New year, new Fabcast!

All impromptu kuno, from the agreement to meet up on New Year's Day, to the prior invite on Twitter to send in questions or topics for discussion. Lots came in, so this is only part 1. Podcasting? Naman, it's more fun in da Philippines!

Download this fabcast (right click and save)

Music credits:
Firework by Katy Perry
Ask by The Smiths

Hit comedy Leading Ladies is Rep's next offering

Repertory Philippines presents its second offering for 2012--the hit comedy “Leading Ladies”, written by Ken Ludwig. The show runs February 10-March 4, 2012, with shows on Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m., and matinee shows on Saturdays and Sundays, 3:30 p.m., at Onstage, Greenbelt 1, Makati City.

Headlining “Leading Ladies” are James Stacey as Leo and Topper Fabregas as Jack. Supporting them are Cris Villonco as Meg, Giannina Ocampo as Audrey, Jamie Wilson as Duncan, Juno Henares as Florence, Hans Eckstein as Butch and Oliver Usison as Doc. Directing the show is Michael Williams.

“Leading Ladies” is about Leo and Jack, two British actors whose careers are so far on the skids that they’re performing “Scenes from Shakespeare” on the Moose Lodge circuit in Pennsylvania’s Amish country. They think their luck might change, however, when they hear about Florence, an old lady in a nearby town who is about to die and leave a considerable legacy to her nephews from England. Leo convinces Jack that they should impersonate the heirs. Their foolproof plan hits a snag, though, when they arrive on the scene and realize the woman’s long-lost relatives are nieces and not nephews.

Playwright Ken Ludwig has won numerous awards and several Tony nominations for his work. His musical “Crazy For You” ran for five years on Broadway and four years in the West End, winning Tony, Olivier, Drama Desk and Helen Hayes Awards as Best Musical of the Year.

“Lend Me A Tenor” (produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber) has proven to be one of the most popular comedies of the past 25 years, winning two Tony Awards. Ludwig's work has also been translated into 16 languages and performed in more than 30 countries.

The artistic and creative team is led by Baby Barredo (artistic director), Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (associate artistic director), John Batalla (lighting designer) and Denis Lagdameo (set designer).

The production staff includes Gidget Tolentino (production manager), Ayam Barredo (company manager), Dingdong Rosales (stage manager), Pol Roxas (sound technician), Pablito Salvador (lighting technician) and Adul Lasin (set execution and scenic artist). The marketing, sales and publicity group is led by Toots Tolentino (PR & publicity) with Rem Zamora and Oliver Usison (PR & publicity/marketing), Marie Talay and Rose Silva (marketing/sales) and Dave Fabros (photography).

For tickets, inquiries and other information, call Repertory Philippines 5716926 or 5714941, or email info@repertory.ph. Tickets are also available at 8919999 or www.ticketworld.com.ph.

Visit www.repertory.ph, subscribe to youtube.com/repertoryphils, add “Rep Phils” in Facebook. “Leading Ladies” is presented by special arrangement with the Samuel French Agency.

Regine The Kraken

Singing Go the Distance, at the Ayala Foundation/ABS-CBN concert The Music of Dreams of many moons ago--The Songbird in all her vintage lung-busting glory. What follows this number is an even more insanely stratospheric Light of a Million Mornings--except my digitized copy of the original VHS recording has decided to go all glitchy right on that spot, so I'd have to have the tape transferred again to make sure the concert and that finale number are preserved. Enjoy this for now. Or rather, fasten your seatbelts...

From 9 Works Theatrical--You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, opening Feb. 11

This coming February, 9 Works Theatrical brings to life the timeless characters from Charles M. Schulz’ popular comic strip “Peanuts” via the Tony award-winning musical, “You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” The musical runs February 11-March 3, 2012 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza Makati.

Based on the comic strip “Peanuts” by Charles M. Schulz, with book, music and lyrics by Charles Gesner, additional dialogue by Michael Mayer, additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, original direction by Michael Mayer and originally produced in New York by Arthur Whitelaw and Gene Persson, “You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown” is a funny and heartwarming musical told through a series of recognizable vignettes that look into an average day in the life of Charlie Brown and draws from the richness and universality of their everyday situations--making it the perfect family musical that will surely resonate with audiences young and old.

Playing the role of Charlie Brown is 9 Works Theatrical’s Artistic Director Robbie Guevara who is currently being seen onstage as Uncle Max in Resorts World Manila's “The Sound of Music.” He is also an established director for the stage.

One of the country’s most versatile performing artists, Carla Guevara-Laforteza will be playing the role of the bossy and crabby Lucy. Carla was recently seen as Maureen Johnson in 9 Works Theatrical’s production of “Rent” and as the Sour Kangaroo in Repertory Philippines “Seussical.” In the ongoing “The Sound of Music” she plays Sister Berthe. She is currently under the management of Johnny Manahan of Star Magic.

Playing the role of Charlie Brown’s lovable dog Snoopy will be Lorenz Martinez, whose last appearance onstage was as Benjamin Coffin III in 9 Works Theatrical’s Rent.” He also plays Herr Zeller in “The Sound of Music.” He was the youngest to perform the role of the Engineer, in the Netherlands production of “Miss Saigon.”

Appearing in his first 9 Works Theatrical musical is singer-actor and TV personality Franco Laurel, who will play the blanket-toting Linus. His theater credits now include starring roles in “Rama at Sita,” Trumpets’ “Honk, The Ugly Duckling,” Dulaang UP's “St. Louis Loves Dem Filipinos: The Musical” and “Isang Panaginip na Fili,” Stages' “Joseph The Dreamer” and Rep's “Sweeney Todd.”

Alternating with Laurel as Linus in certain performances is Toff de Venecia, 9 Works Theatrical’s Marketing and PR Director, who was last seen in Rep’s “Mulan Jr.” His other acting credits include the “Emperor's New Clothes” and Disney’s “Aladdin Jr.”; and for Ateneo Blue Repertory--“Hope for the Flowers,” Bat Boy” and “High School Musical.”

Touted as GMA 7’s resident “Kuya” and foodie, Tonipet Gaba, is a three-time Star Awards winner for Best Children’s show host. His stage credits include essaying lead roles in “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” “Blood Brothers,” “Oliver,” “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “The Little Mermaid”. For this production, he will be playing the sensitive piano-playing Schroeder.

Playing Charlie Brown’s younger sister Sally is Sweet Plantado, who was the musical director for Vocals for 9 Works Theatrical’s “Sweet Charity”. Sweet is a performing-recording artist who is part of the Philippine premier vocal group The CompanY.

PLUS: Klasik--Kristin Chenoweth as Sally performing My New Philosophy, at the 1999 Tony awards.



Veteran actor Michael Williams is directing the show, with Toff de Venecia as assistant director, Joseph Tolentino as musical director-instrumentation), Sweet Plantado as musical director-vocals), Mio Infante as scenographer, Martin Esteva as lighting designer, Mio Infante and Twinkle Zamora to do the costumes, Richard Lazaro as photographer, Larry Palma as graphic designer and Deana Aquino in charge of choreography.

The production team is led by Santi Santamaria (executive producer), Anna Santamaria (company manager), Toff de Venecia (marketing and PR director), Jonjon Martin (PR manager), Pamela Imperial (production manager) and Jojo Amboy (stage manager).

“You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown” runs February 11-March 3, 2012 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza Makati. Friday shows at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

A limited number of performances are now available for fundraising and block-buying. For tickets and other inquiries, call 5575860, 5867105 or 0917-5545560, or email info@9workstheatrical.com.

“You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown” is produced by arrangement with, and the music and dialogue material furnished by TAMS-WITMARK MUSIC LIBRARY, INC., 560 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022.