Bong Austero, a columnist of Manila Standard could not believe last Monday’s verdict on “Philippine Idol.” I am not alone in this belief after all. It’s not a matter of a fan’s opinion that one of her favorites, Pow, was booted out. Bong analyzes the state of the Philippine Idol results. Like most of us have blogged about…. “how is it possible for someone with the least talent to outstay the better performers in a competition? Are we really such poor judges of talent that we seem to be voting for the wrong candidates—even in singing contests?” The Philippine Idol is not just another quirk of the times we live in. Bong adds that “But I think that it is actually symptomatic of the state of our democracy. This is the Philippines, and this is our version of democracy. It’s a system built on certain myths.” Bong provides an interesting and comprehensive perspective of Philippine Idol reflective of the country’s political climate.
The first myth is that the playing field is level—that everyone has equal chances of winning. Unfortunately, that is an illusion. In our country, economic power is absolute power and he who has more money, or at least the support of the people with money, wins hands down. To win popularity contests such as elections and yes, Philippine Idol, it is not enough that one has the talent or the qualification or the willingness and determination. One has to have the resources as well.
And so, we have a sorry situation where certain people run away with titles and the positions mainly because they have more resources than their competitors do. So yes, I believe that despite the dismal performance of its candidates in the surveys for the 2007 elections, the Arroyo administration might still be able to pull off an upset if it is able to muster enough resources (do not ask me where they will most likely get the money, your guess is as good as mine). It is an appalling thought, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles in our so-called democracy.
It is not about who is more qualified, it is about who has more money to spend. Forget about winning popularity contests or elective posts if you do not have the resources. Mau and Gian may be the better performers among the remaining four contestants of Philippine Idol, but their talent is not enough guarantee that they will get into the finals.
continue reading Bong Austero’s column and Lea rocks ‘Philippine Idol;’ Pow bows out of the competition
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