Some Thoughts About Jessica Sanchez

        Almost every Filipino is all agog with Jessica Sanchez since the first time she performed on the AI stage and received glowing reviews from the judges. More so now that she is in the Philippines (with other AI finalists), the country that she knew of just recently. If memory serves me right, she mentioned in an interview that she has never been to our islands. Judging from her looks, there is no doubt that she is a Filipino, except that her passport claims otherwise.

        Filipinos, whether consciously or subconsciously, have this penchant for claiming and owning international celebrities with drops of Filipino blood running through their veins. And such celebrities have capitalized on this immensely, which further boosted their popularity, in our country at least. Are they really proud of their Filipino lineage? Are they happy to be identified with a country that is third world in nature? How many times have they been to our country? Do they know how to speak in Filipino?

        Yesterday, I chanced upon a morning program which gave a preview of Jessica’s impending visit to Bataan, her mother’s home province. The place or town looked very festive, complete with native performers and all the necessary trimmings. Perhaps, this could be an orchestration of some sort, as her visit will be televised and shown live. Anyway, the people all looked very excited to finally see in flesh their “kababayan”, by the name of Jessica Sanchez. Does she even know that such a province is existing? Does she know her relatives there personally?

        There is no doubt that Jessica is bursting with talent, hands down and thumbs up. Will she make it big in the US? I will leave this open ended. She has already earned a grade of "1" as a performer. But sadly, several notches lower in the looks department. It is common knowledge that looks and curves sell more than talent. So you do the calculation yourself. Perhaps, she will make it big in our country. Or maybe in Mexico, her Dad’s country.

        When Jessica lost the title to Philip Phillips, many Filipinos were saddened by it, as if our country lost a hero. I have made a pronouncement before in a social networking site that Jessica might not make it, since America will not allow a non-American looking contestant to win. And I was right. Her runner-up finish though, was good enough for her, and undeniably an achievement in itself.

        I am a great admirer of talent. But I will admire Ms. Sanchez more, if she will sincerely dish out efforts to know our country where her mother comes from, away from cameras and the klieg lights. Enough of publicity stunts in other words. Filipinos both here and abroad cheered for you during all your triumphant moments. Rest assured that all of us will still be by your side, curtains up, or curtains down.