There are NO ROYALS in Manila

This is the fourth in our series on Icons of Debauchery. The previous posts - Tim Yap, BryanBoyB, Imelda - generated heated discussions, some of which verged on violence and cyberbullying. We still remain with our basic premise: that the Philippines at this point does not benefit from any individual or group who publicly promote an excessive, luxurious lifestyle. Even if, indeed, their pictures and pronouncements can be good escapes from the drudgery of poverty and political mess.

Every country has its own icon of debauchery! But even first world countries whose economies are now in recession are reacting to the excesses of the elite. Paris Hilton once drew flack when she was quoted as saying that she is the "iconic blonde of the decade"' and compared herself to Princess Diana and Marilyn Monroe (a claim she denied in the May 2007 issue of Harper's Bazaar). Icons and celebrities must evolve with their social milieu. Paris regained a better ground when she offered an almost academic repartee to the McCain campaign's reference of Obama and Paris as being on the same level.

Her erstwhile BFF, Nicole Richie almost cleaned up her act and assumed the role of a wife and mother. Do our own fashion icons evolve with the times? For this post, written by my mama Boldstar, we place Ruffa Gutierrez public persona under scrutiny. We use her image as a representative of a celebrity sector that continuously tries to reinvent itself (sometimes with questionable motivations) with every reinvention always played in front of the camera.

Here is Boldstar's take on The Second Princess.

Former that’s Entertainment member, formerly involved in an alleged “Bruneiyuki” scam investigated by the Senate, former alleged involvement in a film scam, former Miss World second runner-up, former Hollywood starlet/spokes-model/actress/whatever, former owner/ president of Intel Media International Advertising Company and an alleged President of fashion TV in Turkey.

Wait there’s more! (Breathe and again ala Toni Braxton)
Currently product endorser for tummy aches, beautiful shiny hair shampoo, powdered milk, and whitening soap.

But pssssssst, wait there’s more.

I may also add TV host of the defunct Philippines Next Top Model.
Why? Apparently in her youth she was a top model, Elite Look 1992 representative.

Where? I personally don’t know since contacts from the European fashion circuit replies were WHO? Sharmaine Ruffa Gutierrez? That should be in New York. RING Elite. Rang Elite, the phone-bitch replied? “gurl” you mean Rupaul? In fashion a month old was when Jesus was born. Enough said.

But there’s more.

Mother, sister and charity queen with her own foundation.

No! Don’t insult my intelligence not make up, a charitable foundation that helps the poor. For the doubting Thomas’s it’s called Roof a child Foundation as well being a charity doyenne to Unicef, Philippine Red Cross, Make a wish Foundation, World Vision, Asilo de Milagrosa.

I must admit, I am exhausted by the towering heights of her apparent achievements based on the wattage of the many Manila based press releases (note Manila Based). From the dramatic tax payer funded police bodyguards when she “dramatically” left her “billionaire” Turkish husband to the “rampa” for a cause efforts one can’t help but wonder whether it’s just a brilliant machinations of a woman hell-bent on proving any publicity is a good publicity.

But I dare you to Google Yilmaz Bektaz, maybe rich (allegedly with questionable resources) but no billionaire (pesos maybe or in Zimbabwe). Would you exchange private jets and mega mansions with being a spokes-model for a surgical centre? Can you imagine Ayen Munji selling a whitening soap? That would be downgrading and blasphemous. Or maybe once and for all, they have realized that believing your own hallucinations is a true sign of mental illness, like pie in the sky.

Or as Mr Billionaire puts it "materialist (sic) relative" of "poor conscience and honor" who "takes advantage of my wife." Mother puts it as freedom because in Istanbul [sic] ‘women are confined to home, taking care of children, and are not allowed to wear sexy dresses. Almost every night Ruffa would call me crying’, Mrs. Rama said. If freedom means a sexy micro mini then kindly wrap me in polyester soaked in melamine, please.

Or does she have a warped sense of humor?

Having experienced poverty in the US and if you believe it selling pots and pans from a life of “celebrity” since dad was a “matinee idol” slash Elvis impersonator and mother was an “actress”, going back to Manila was a no brainer. The Lohans, Simpsons and Spears, white trash you may judge but R.I.C.H. All you have to do is BELIEVE it by establishing your own Royale Era Company (note the royalty insinuation) and press release everything.
Is that why she's BFF with Tim Yap?

Is it just branding, feverish fantasy typical of “manila society” or rampant media hype ala Tim Yap believe your own hype kinda thing. Or is it just a vapid vulgar vanity (note: vvvv’s) wrapped in a banana leaf sold as imagined reality.

Wait there's more.

Or is it just brains and beauty with a purpose?

BryanBoy... Debauchery in the midst of Hunger

Before I give the floor to Boldstar to dissect the gay Ayatollah of debauchery and hedonism, I would like to point out a few things. Guys, BryanBoy USED TO write for a broadsheet and is hereby subjected to ethical and moral responsibilities (notwithstanding the wold wide reach of his blog).

First of all, our country is really in shambles. The prestigious Gallup International ranked the Philippines fifth (5th) in the recent global HUNGER survey called “Voice of the People”. A related survey conducted from September 24 to 27, 2008 by Social Weather Station (SWS) found that 3.3 million Filipino families were suffering from hunger in the last three quarters.

Hell, our very own RainB is suffering hunger pangs lately and I feel dismayed and infuriated.

Secondly, I'm aghast by the wealth divide in our country. There are people who enjoy debauched lifestyles in the face of growing paucity. Some lavish mansions in the face of people being forcibly herded off like animals. Study in UP dearies and the first thing you learn is this provision in the Civil Code of the Philippines:

“Article 25... Thoughtless extravagance in expenses for pleasure or display during a period of acute public want or emergency may be stopped by order of the courts at the instance of any government or private charitable institution.”

Lastly, I respect diversity in all its definition- girl, boy, bakla, tomboy.

However, I do not respect ANY criminal acts. Article 25 shows BryanBoys clear violation to everything that is ethical, just and honorable. The more WE flirtatiously display the GAP between rich and poor the more the INSURGENTS will rally up in arms... Shall we wait for that day of reckoning?

I will NEVER consent to debauchery and hedonism while I see people HUNGRY- especially RainB!

But then again, that this is just me... Take it Away Boldstar!

Bryanboy: Hello Gorgeous
By Boldstar

Bryanboy is a blogger phenom in the world of fashion. He loves and begs for attention and bathes himself with things labels, labels, and labels. He admits he is so gay he sweats glitter, and even puts up receipts for his purchases of things many of us can only dream about on his blog. Is it superficial to want and want and want material things or if given half the chance would we buy the wanton lifestyle he craves?

It can be argued that his homosexuality alienated him since childhood that may have a profound impact on his outlook in life. I could imagine the torrents of abuse from school mates, and expressions of disappointment by his family, as he calls them horror de familia. All of these would ensure that his ability to look at the world and society would be skewed towards the happiness of instant gratification such as sex with strangers, the instant high of buying a Louis Vuitton which is a year's salary for some people and a stranger's proclaimations of love.

Unhappy and abused children have often been profiled to create fantastical world hence to the extreme that multiple personalities or pathologically referred to as a dissociative identity disorder (DID) ensued, and to a much lesser degree the creation of imaginary friends which disappears when reaching adolescents. Predisposition is linked to traumatic antecedents, insufficient nurturing in childhood (OFW's mothers) and prolonged child abuse, like severe sexual, physical, or psychological trauma. In the case of Bryanboy, years of "bakla taunting" and his wealthy background may have pushed him towards the life of the rich and famous lifestyle partly because he has the means, and partly because of his family's wealthy status. In the case of the poor, dissociations manifest themselves in sex for money as in having a gay benefactor if you are cute or gay sex for money, regardless of an individual's orientation.

In so many instances our basic survival instincts would kick in when confronted with hunger and homelessness. In fact this is the precise reason why young runaways succumb to prostitution, for the roof over their heads, and food for their hunger. They often have extremely low levels of self esteem with a desire to hoard food, specially, if they continue to experience hunger, and prolonged absence of anything to eat. It is similar for Imelda Marcos. Her views about herself are negatively skewed, constantly seeking representations of herself in the company of the famous and royalty, and hoarding. Throughout her reign how many buildings did she build for herself as hollowed accomplishments and representations of her self- esteem (COGNITION PROBLEMS), how many PAL trips had she hijacked to go shopping (IMPULSE CONTROL), how many rivals she had murdered (ALLEGEDLY – LIBEL SAFE HUH INTERPERSONAL FUNCITIONING ISSUES), and emptiness of her personality (AFFECT) .

Both Bryanboy and Imelda can easily fit in to the general criteria of the diagnosis of personality disorder. (quote – yes Wikipedia)

Diagnosis of a personality disorder must satisfy the following general criteria in addition to the specific criteria listed under the specific personality disorder under consideration.

A. Experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the individual's culture. This pattern is manifested in two (or more) of the following areas:

1. cognition(perception and interpretation of self, others and events)

2. affect(the range, intensity, liability, and appropriateness of emotional response)

3. interpersonal functioning

4. impulse control

B. The enduring pattern is inflexible and pervasive across a broad range of personal and social situations.

C. The enduring pattern leads to clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

D. The pattern is stable and of long duration and its onset can be traced back at least to adolescence or early adulthood

E. The enduring pattern is not better accounted for as a manifestation or consequence of anomaly mental disorder

F. The enduring pattern is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance or a general medical condition such as head injury

Like an addiction both of them needs psychological help if they want to. For Bryanboy, he is who he is but he has never proclaimed himself to be for the Masa nang Bayan, or a glittering sequined STAR according to Imelda that the poor and destitute can put up as a benchmark for life. For Imelda maybe she's just simply Burigadang Pada Sinaklang Bulawan - The goddess of greed.

Color Me Pink

by: Andro

Before the advent of VHS, Beta, VCD’s, DVD’s and now Blu-Ray, Filipinos always had a passion for the movies. BAKLA - a term that used to be associated only with screaming “flamboyant” queens. Their terminologies have become so myriad they even came out with their own version of “pig-latin.” The term “bakla” has even transmuted into various forms.

The King was a Queen (and he reigned supreme)

Rodolfo Vera Quizon - Dolphy (Golay, Pidol) showed them all what it took to be called “The King of Comedy.” His trek to the throne started with his 6th film and his 1st top billing in Jack en Jill (1954) penned by Mars Ravelo. Dolphy’s “Glory” encapsulated the “bakla” or the “binabae” of his era that needed to be ‘talyada” (sexy) to be happy. That singular point set the trend of comical stereotypes still prevalent up to the present. For those who are not familiar with the original, Sharon Cuneta and Herbert Bautista did a remake in 1987. In both versions, the “ate” played by Lolita Rodriguez in the original / Sharon Cuneta in the remake, employed the town bully played by Martin Marfil (original) / Rez Cortez (remake) to knock sense into Glory (original)/Jillian (remake) and make him a “real man.” The effort ended in futility albeit all the physical pounding and even being dunked in a drum filled with water. That’s where being a “sirena” (mermaid) was also associated with being gay. The irony is, in both versions, the town bully for undisclosed reasons was the one who cracked and became a “talyadang binabae” himself. Dramatizing that, it showed associating with anyone gay will turn a real man gay. In 1969, RVQ Productions owned by Dolphy came out with Facifica Falayfay penned yet again by Mars Ravelo. Falayfay had a sequel in 1987 “Mga Anak Ni Facifica Falayfay” which catapulted actor Roderick Paulate then already playing bit gay roles.

Pretty in Pink?

The 80’s saw an influx of many stereotypical gay-themed movies and TV offerings from the likes of Roderick Paulate and Joey de Leon among many others. It became the norm to trivialize the gay lifestyle both reel and real. Some real gay talents succumbed and joined in the travesty for fear of losing work. Being loud and proud took another meaning. Now, we have the likes of Diego and the many characterizations of Michael V and Ogie Alcasid in Bubble Gang. Even sing-along masters make fun of themselves and their audience in sing-along bars. What people saw in the big and small screen are what they thought they ought to be, just that, good for a laugh. We laugh “at” them yes? But are you willing to laugh “with” them?

Movies and TV influenced a lot of stereotypes that are most often than not, barely scratch reality. Gay themed movies done by Lino Brocka essayed the other side of gay culture. Brocka even came out with Orlando Nadres’ Stardoom (1971), a dark, tragic view of movie showbiz itself. Audiences were in awe, most surmising that his themes were too surreal to be true.

Pink is the New Blue (Ramification)

The advent of gay themed indie movies is a welcomed reprieve from traditional cinema. The dominant gay stereotype is shattered but not obliterated. Some show a positive shade of pink that gay men are not only those that are “flamboyant” in nature. Sadly, most of these films focused on one aspect to sell. SEX. But that is not entirely accurate. Case in point: I asked a “parlorista” friend what he thought of the movie “Daybreak” all he could muse about was the naked and intimate scenes between the two male actors. But when I posed the same question to a “gay yuppie” friend, he orates about the technical aspect and content of the movie. He even suggested the intimate scenes should have been shortened and added some are unnecessary. Now why is that? Both are college graduates so education is not an issue. Here are two gay men with opposing views. Asked what they observed in the theaters, the “parlorista” quipped “andaming paminta.” The yuppie says “andaming bakla.” I’m confounded. Aren’t they referring to themselves? By the way, I’ve seen the movie, and I agree with the views of the yuppie.

In recent years, we are shown that there exist straight looking men who prefer same sex relationships. But instead of a welcome mat, the overt gays insists for these men to unfurl the proverbial cape. And the straight looking gays insists that the overt gays tame themselves down. Neither will give way. As a result, animosity between the communities erupted and seemingly still ongoing. This was clearly depicted in another Orlando Nadres creation: “Hanggang Dito Na Lamang At Maraming Salamat.”