The year 2020 is a lot of things. What are the events and lessons from this tumultuous year that will linger in our memory?
All of us are silent witnesses and part of the survival of the fittest demographic in this pandemic. We faced the fury of Mother Nature. And yes, we swallow, like bitter pills, the political shenanigans served on a daily basis.
No, I will not say we Filipinos are resilient because the remainder of us are breathing and existing. Living well? Not everyone is lucky.
Whether it was caused by men’s folly and greed or by natural causes, these are reminders that we must get our acts together. As Mother Nature heals herself, we are the tragic victims of the wrong choices that we justify as the easier way out.
As the forces of the Universe target their anger and rage at us, praying for deliverance and mercy will never suffice without action on our part, which is to choose the good, the right, and the just, and sow the seeds of love.
No more gray areas. Nada on neutrality. Nay on biting one’s lips, keeping the peace and just living for I, me, myself, and your loved ones.
All that we encountered and experienced are great equalizers. The tragedies that happened did not care if you are affluent, new moneyed, or economically disadvantaged. It did not spare the youth and the elders. The political correctness and labels did not offer protection from anxieties, depression, and dwindling finances.
The year 2020 teaches us not to look the other way and turn blind to the injustice, transgressions, and degradation that are the by-products of all our options.
In local showbiz, what shook us all and changed the entertainment landscape, the closure and non-renewal of the franchise of the country’s biggest network, ABS-CBN.
With the “death of the network,” TV 5 and NET 25 are beefing and strengthening their boob tube offerings with the hope to lure the audiences of free television.
GMA 7 refuses to think out of its templates in terms of programming, promotions, and its way of making its stars superstars.
Netflix, YouTube, Tiktok, Lyka, and Kumu are now considered alternative platforms for content that are available in the local scene.
Netflix gave us Hyun Bin and So He Jin in Crash Landing On You; Park Seo –Joon in Itaewon Class; Kim Hee An, Park Hae Jon, and Han So Hee in The World of The Married; all the juvenile problems and promises in Sex Education, Elite, and Riverdale; and all the camp and high fashion in La Casa de las Flores, Emily In Paris and Dynasty.
We have seen the rise of Ivana Alawi, with 10 million subscribers in just 14 months, and Inigo Pascual’s “Dahil Sa ‘Yo” becoming one of the most viewed original Filipino songs on YouTube.
The controversial Raffy Tulfo also dominated as the most searched male showbiz and public service personality.
Over on TikTok, Lyka, and Kumu, the flash in the pans are a dime and a dozen. The millennial generation of strippers are boring everyone to tears. The “little monsters” show their fangs and horns with postings defending their callousness that are both laughable and pitiful.
Boys Love dramas are the sources of kilig. Emotional connection and sanity. The elite group consist of Gameboys, with Kokoy de Santos and Elijah Canlas as Gavreel and Cairo. They are the biggest sensations of this BL drama fascination.
Next in line, are XavMi, the characters of Tony Labrusca and JC Alcantara in Hello Stranger. The XavMi lip-locking is an “event” that all their followers and bashers anticipate.
The PangPang couple, Ian Pangilinan and Paolo Pangiinan, Vlad and Karl of Gaya sa Pelikula are the BL It Pair of the year. This two are the most “believable” and “relatable” tandem by far.
And they baby talked their way to their hearts, so like Gabby Concepcion and Sharon Cuenta in Dear Heart, Ali King and Alec Kevin as Key and Chen in Boys Lock Down.
Rabiya Matteo is the very first Miss Philippines Universe who gets a lot of bashing and hating because of her “I’d rather be caught dead than wear her outfit” fashion fiascos.
And in due time, the fate of the ten motion pictures in competition is the online edition of the 2020 Metro Manila Film Festival will be known.
With the latest tragedy involving a man in uniform that shocked, shook, and angered us, is this how we want 2020 to end?
Of course not. That is why do not treat this as another slogan. Our share in making this world a better place, let us make it happen, for real.