October 11, 2023 • 28 mins
Carmina & Patch commemorate Filipino-American History Month by recapping the season and celebrating Fil-Am creative achievements. Topping the episode is a shoutout to the rom-com Asian Persuasion, which won the Audience Award at the Soho International Film Festival. They invite listeners to PH Time Is Now virtually or in-person on Oct. 28 to meet Fil-Am trailblazers. Finally, hear about Patch’s Broadway debut and listen to their in-depth review of Here Lies Love!
Asian Persuasion will be released in the Philippines on Nov. 29, 2023. Track @asianpersuasionfilm on Instagram for festival and theater drops.
Register here for PH Time Is Now by Oct. 15 to join Pinoy trailblazers virtually or in person at the Harvard Club of New York on Oct. 28.
Visit Here Lies Love’s official website for show details and ticketing information.
The complete Voltes V Blu Ray disc collection can be found here.
To support FilTrip, go to the Patreon page here and PayPal page here.
Visit https://filtrip.buzzsprout.com. Drop a note at thefiltrip@gmail.com.
See https://www.buzzsprout.com/privacy for Privacy Policy.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Carmina (00:06):
Welcome to FilTrip, a podcast where we explore
everything fun, weird, and inbetween about the Philippines.
And now a quick shout out.
Check out Manila Candle. ManilaCandle features Filipino
inspired scents like Tagaytay,Palawan, Ube Halaya and Buco
(00:28):
and Mango. They also have funones like Ay Nako and Bahala Ka
Sa Buhay Mo.
Patch (00:35):
Enjoy their car fresheners, wax melts and
merchandise too. Visitmanilacandle.com and take a
trip to the Philippines throughtheir scents.
Carmina (00:46):
Back to our show. Hi Patch, Happy Filipino American
History Month!
Patch (00:51):
Hi, Carmina. Happy Filipino American History Month
everyone.!
Carmina (00:55):
October was designated as the official Filipino
American History Month by USCongress in 2009. So I hope
everyone takes the month ofOctober to remember our
heritage and to celebrate beingFilipino and Filipino American.
Patch (01:12):
Part of it is we're going to talk about Here Lies
Love later.
Carmina (01:16):
And the other thing that we want to make sure
people check out is a filmtitled Asian Persuasion.
There's a tie into Broadway,actually, the person who
directed and produced it. JettTolentino is a three time Tony
Award winner and Grammy winner.
Patch (01:34):
Wow, that's so impressive.
Carmina (01:36):
He's joined in the cast by Dante Basco , Paolo
Montalban and KC Conception inthe lead roles.
Patch (01:46):
Queen .
Carmina (01:47):
Yeah. So at a future episode, we hope to talk to
Jett and share it with ourlisteners.
Patch (01:53):
That's something to both us and our audience can look
forward to in the future. Ican't believe our second season
is ending.
Carmina (02:03):
Can you believe that two seasons already, Patch .
Patch (02:06):
Looking back at this season, we have our favorites.
Carmina (02:10):
I really like the episodes where we explored
Cebu. I've never been as wellas Guam.
Patch (02:17):
What about traveling back in time for me? And I'm
sure for you as well, one ofthe most emotional episodes was
our , uh, people PowerRevolution episode, which I
think for this season is ourmost popular.
Carmina (02:33):
Yes.
Patch (02:33):
Yeah. For good reason. I don't wanna say I've forgotten
about that experience, butcertainly it was kind of in the
back burner of my mind.
Carmina (02:43):
Mm-hmm.
.
Patch (02:43):
And when we went through that episode, the images just
really came to life again. Um,with sadness, wondering what
happened after such an iconicpart of our history, it seems
that it was erased. And so I'mvery grateful for the
opportunity to bring that back.
Carmina (03:03):
Yeah. We seem to keep , uh, picking on that scab
because , that was alsoone of our most popular
episodes in last season, right?
Not directly about the PeoplePower Revolution, but we talked
about it when we discussed theelections.
Patch (03:22):
Speaking of elections last season, we profiled our
favorite candidate. And thisseason I was grateful also to
learn about other prominentwomen in our society.
Currently, obviously MariaRessa.
Carmina (03:38):
And Patch, our girl Maria Ressa, we discovered we
have a connection with. Right?
Patch (03:43):
Right.
Carmina (03:44):
She attended our school, even if it was just for
three years. , we claimthat connection proudly.
.
Patch (03:52):
We're choosing to think that was a very formative time.
Carmina (03:55):
In her life.
Patch (03:56):
In her life.
Carmina (03:58):
But Patch the ones that really made me laugh so
much were also myfavorites.
Patch (04:05):
For me, the most recent was the Voltes V episode. Yes.
Carmina (04:09):
That really brought me back. The nostalgia and also
the rage.
Patch (04:15):
Did it help you with the trauma of not knowing the
ending.
Carmina (04:19):
Well, I'm still traumatized because I still
don't know the ending.
Patch (04:25):
Oh right, me too .
Carmina (04:26):
Guess what though?
Patch (04:28):
What?
Carmina (04:29):
One of our listeners sent me a link to where I can
buy Blu-ray discs . .
Patch (04:35):
Ooh.
Carmina (04:36):
We'll link it in our show notes if anyone else is
interested
Patch (04:40):
From start to finish?
Carmina (04:41):
Yes.
Patch (04:42):
Oh my.
Carmina (04:42):
The complete collection. So,
Patch (04:45):
Okay .
Carmina (04:45):
I guess we know what we're gonna be doing during our
break.
Patch (04:49):
Mm-hmm . .
Carmina (04:50):
Oh , Patch. Guess what? So remember in episode
two, Spooktacular, Pinoy TrueCrimes.
Patch (04:57):
Yes?
Carmina (04:57):
We talked about the first serial killer in the
Philippines, or maybe even theonly serial killer that we know
of . There's now amovie that was made about it.
Patch (05:10):
Really?
Carmina (05:11):
So I saw an article, I mean, back in maybe May or June
timeframe, Dennis Trilio andPiolo Pascual, who are famous
actors in the Philippines, aregoing to be playing Father
Malari in two differentformats. So Piolo Pascual will
be playing him in a film, andDennis Trilio will be playing
(05:32):
him in a series .
Patch (05:35):
Oh my. Does it say where it's going to be available and
will it be available to theAmerican audience?
Carmina (05:42):
I mean, maybe the film will at some point, but the
series is airing on GMA.
Patch (05:47):
Mm-hmm. .
Carmina (05:48):
I would like to think that they were inspired by our
episode .
Patch (05:52):
Yes. Let's think that.
Why not? Who's going to stopus? Honestly?
Carmina (05:58):
So please join us in our delusion..
Patch (06:01):
One of my other favorite episodes was our episode about
the Manila Men being FilipinoAmerican. It's really amazing
to learn about these firstFilipino settlers, how they
lived, how they basically hadto defend themselves from fake
news.
Carmina (06:21):
Exactly.
Patch (06:23):
It also saddens me that the recordings of our history
were, as we learned, alsodestroyed because of natural
causes. And also, hopefullymost of our history going
forward will be recorded inbooks, et cetera . Like you've
discussed in our past episodes,it's very hard to purchase or
(06:43):
read about anything that'srelated to Filipino American
history.
Carmina (06:47):
Yeah. Not even Filipino American. Right?
Apolinario Mabini or one of ournational heroes. All of this
important work, and I'm notjust saying important from my
perspective, important evenfrom historian's perspectives.
Patch (07:02):
Right.
Carmina (07:03):
They're not anywhere.
So yes. Call to action toanybody who would listen,
caause I haven't won my lotteryyet.
Patch (07:12):
Mm-hmm .
Carmina (07:13):
Connecting this season to next season. So we're gonna
have a bit of a break until wedrop another episode in 2024.
And because of the formats thatwe're exploring, we're thinking
of having 10 episodes perseason moving forward.
Patch (07:29):
And also Carmina, I really enjoy it when we
discover Tea.
Carmina (07:34):
Uh , that is the thread between season one and
season two. And I think ourlisteners appreciate it too.
Right?
Patch (07:42):
Right.
Carmina (07:43):
One of the things that I wanted to make sure we
mentioned before we end theseason is to send a huge thank
you to our patrons.
Patch (07:51):
Yes, absolutely! We really appreciate their
support.
Carmina (07:55):
We wanna thank Solepack
Patch (07:57):
We want to thank Manila Candle.
Carmina (07:59):
And by the way, we haven't talked about this in
the past Patch, but bothSolepack and Manila Candle, are
Filipino and Filipino Americanowned , because one of the
things that we really want tobe able to do is highlight and
showcase Filipinoentrepreneurs. And of course,
our listeners. We wouldn't behere without people listening
(08:19):
to us < laugh>, or would we. I feel like even if
there w as nobody listening tous, < laugh>.
Patch (08:28):
Nothing's gonna stop us.
Carmina (08:31):
Nothing's gonna stop us. Honestly.
Patch (08:34):
That's right. Well, you know, we are doing this also
because we have so much fungoing on this journey and
discovering what we discover.
So...
Carmina (08:44):
That's true. But of course we'd love to have new
listeners,. We'd loveto have our old listeners back
and our new listeners too. AndPatch , speaking of our
listeners, I discovered a newfeature on Spotify.
Patch (09:00):
What ?
Carmina (09:01):
So on Spotify. Now there's a Q&A for every
episode. So listeners, wheneveryou go to Spotify and listen to
our episodes, if you scrolldown far enough, you're going
to see a Q&A tab where you cancomment on each episode On
Apple Podcasts, you can'treally do that. It's just one
comment overall. But forSpotify, they've now activated
(09:24):
that feature. So please let usknow what you think about each
of our episodes and we'll makesure to check them and maybe
even read them out right duringour episodes.
Patch (09:34):
Oh yeah, that's a good idea.
Carmina (09:36):
Patch . The only other thing that I wanted to make
sure we mention, because it'sgoing to be very timely when we
release this episode, we areparticipating in an event
called PH Time Is Now.
Patch (09:48):
There's going to be some noteworthy personalities that
are going to speak to us aboutpersonal stories as Filipino
change makers .
Carmina (09:59):
PH Time Is Now was launched in 2018, and the big
objective is to gather FilipinoTrailblazers, mentors. So it's
gonna be hosted by Karen Davila, who is a news anchor and a
correspondent for ABS CBNnetwork. Other people who are
gonna be there are Loida,Nicolas Lewis . I mean, does
(10:22):
she need any introduction?
? Actually, if you're aFilipino or Filipino American
and don't know her, I mean,what rock have you been living
under?
Patch (10:32):
Absolutely. One of the most respected Filipino
business women out there.
Carmina (10:37):
Yep . And she's also a philanthropist and an activist
still to this day. The otherone that I wanted to make sure
we mentioned was Sheila LirioMarcelo. We talked about her in
our Filipino Entrepreneurepisode back in season one.
Patch (10:52):
And there's also Bobby Lopez , who is a double EGOT
winner. So that's veryexciting.
Carmina (10:58):
And Jose Antonio Vargas, who is a Pulitzer Prize
winning journalist. I mean, hereally kind of burst onto the
scene through his work as anadvocate for undocumented
immigrants.
Patch (11:11):
We also hope to see Beth De La Cruz , who is the
president of Jolly Bee FoodsCorporation. It's interesting
that she started her career inJolly Bee as a shift manager. I
wanna hear her journey.
Carmina (11:25):
Yeah. Do you think there's gonna be Jolly Bee at
the Harvard Club when we go ? Now I'm getting
hungry. I hope she brings somePeach Mango Pie. .
Patch (11:37):
That's an excellent point.
Carmina (11:40):
Or um , maybe palabok . Anyway .
Patch (11:44):
Okay. And also, we hope to meet Clint Ramos, who is a
Tony Award recipient.
Carmina (11:52):
So Patch , he is a recipient of a Tony Award for
best costume design of a playfor ESclipsed. And that makes
him the first person of colorto win that category.
Patch (12:04):
Wow.
Carmina (12:05):
So for people who are interested, the event is on
October 28th, it's going to beat the Harvard Club of New
York, and there are virtualseats available if people
aren't from New York or can'tmake it to New York, we're
gonna link their eventinformation in our show notes
so people can check it out andhopefully come join us or join
(12:27):
us virtually. And speaking ofClint Ramos, he is also
involved in Here Lies Love.
Patch (12:36):
I'm so happy to share that we recently
watched Hear Lies Lovetogether.
Carmina (12:43):
Yes! We were really waiting for you to be able to
watch it. Right? Because I hadall confession of an addict.
I've already watched itmultiple times, but I waited
for you to watch it from thedance floor.
Patch (12:59):
Here Lies Love is a musical that is showing in
Broadway. There's a little bitof controversy around the
topic. You know, it centersaround Emelda, Marcos and her
rise and fall. What do youthink of it being that you've
seen it several times, severaldifferent angles?I
Carmina (13:17):
I'm not really sure if I'm the most objective person
to ask about this. 'cause I amsuch a fan that I have watched
it, as you said, from severaldifferent angles. Well , let me
talk about that first,because...
Patch (13:29):
Okay.
Carmina (13:30):
That's probably the least controversial, right?
Patch (13:32):
Mm-hmm..
Carmina (13:33):
This is the first musical I've ever watched where
I've had a very differentexperience depending on where I
sat. So we encourage folks tocheck out the official website
because it really describes inmuch more detail what each of
the seating options are. ButI've already watched it from
what they call the floor sideseats on the side of the stage.
(13:55):
And it's elevated, and you veerover the railing and you can
see all the action, but there'sonly two rows on each side of
the floor side seats. And thenof course, there's the regular
mezzanine seats. From themezzanine seats. You're really
able to see a sweeping view ofeverything that's happening
down in the orchestra. The showthat we watch, from what I'm
(14:19):
calling the dance floor, isactually, you know, the
traditional orchestra. But thedifference being, they ripped
out all of the seats andcreated this disco atmosphere.
And people are basicallywatching it standing up because
the stage is at eye level.
Patch (14:37):
This stage moves around depending on the scene. You
have the actors walking andmoving around with you
essentially. It's reallyimmersive. It's also kind of
funny because you have peopleto assist and make sure that
everyone is walking in theright direction safely.
Carmina (14:57):
Right, they're called the Wranglers.
Patch (14:59):
You're not going to get lost, don't worry. It's not as
chaotic as it might sound. Butit's really very immersive. And
the whole experience outside ofthe stage moving around and the
actors being very near you, thewhole experience is , it feels
like being in a gigantic discoball.
Carmina (15:19):
Even the MC of the show, the DJ, right? Calls it
the Blender. I thought that wasreally apt.
Patch (15:25):
And I know we're like describing it to death
. Right? But it really is sounique. It's such a unique
experience, at least in whatI've seen in Broadway in the
past.
Carmina (15:38):
Not only that we're talking about the stage, but
when I was sitting in themezzanine, a lot of the key
scenes also happen in themezzanine. They utilize so many
areas of the theater, includingstairs up into the mezzanine so
that the singers are able tomove up to the mezzanine. And
when I was sitting there onetime Patch, I had people like
(16:00):
singing in my face, .
Patch (16:02):
Mm-hmm. .
Carmina (16:02):
That's how close they were. And that's the mezzanine
where usually you're like justseeing dots on the stage.
Patch (16:10):
. Exactly. So no
matter where you're going to
find yourself seated, you willnot miss out on the action
outside of the set. Music is socatchy. My favorite one is God
Draws Straight, which was theonly acoustic song. The lyrics
are based on actual comments ofthe people who experienced that
(16:31):
particular event. How aboutyou? Which one was your
favorite? Or do you have morethan one favorite?
Carmina (16:37):
Child of the Philippines. And the other one
is this song called PerfectHand . It also recently became
my more favorite song becauseat some point in the musical,
Jose Llana, who plays Marcos,selects people from the
audience as he's moving throughthe audience. And you got
(16:59):
selected!
Patch (17:03):
That was both terrifying and exhilarating at the same
time. And it was really funnyto see my face plastered on the
screen.
Carmina (17:11):
Every time I hear that song. Now your face ,
is going to be the first memorythat comes up for me .
. And you described yourexpression perfectly .
Like, I couldn't tell, is sheecstatic? Is she mortified?
It's both.
Patch (17:31):
I was all of that,
Carmina (17:32):
And we shouldn't really gloss over the fact that
the person who conceived of allthis is David Byrne , who was
the front man for TalkingHeads, which in its time was
also its own brand of music.
Patch (17:48):
Mm-hmm. .
Carmina (17:49):
And of course, the most important feature of this
whole thing is it's the firstall Filipino musical.
Patch (17:56):
Right.
Carmina (17:57):
So not only a Filipino story, but all the actors are
Filipino. It also has a largecontingent of Filipino
producers, which is also sortof a, you know, groundbreaking
thing on Broadway. There's nota lot of them ,
Patch (18:13):
And it's heartwarming to know, you know, these people
really are supportive of atrailblazing project.
Carmina (18:21):
So you mentioned earlier the controversies, and
there are many, but let'stackle the one that's really
been dominating the narrativearound this. Some of the
criticisms I've read online,say it's glorifying Imelda
Marcos, or not enough time isdevoted to talking about the
(18:42):
negative aspects of her originsor her rise to power. What do
we have to say about that?
Patch (18:48):
Well, and also I read that it was humanizing her.
Carmina (18:52):
Mm-hmm.
,
Patch (18:52):
I was kind of wary that that was going to be true.
Carmina (18:57):
Mm-hmm.
.
Patch (18:57):
But I disagree for anyone who's not familiar with
what happened to our history.
You go through and learn aboutit in such a way that A,
obviously not boring. B, youremotions are carried throughout
the whole show. So even if youdidn't live through those
(19:18):
times, you're invested in it.
Carmina (19:21):
Mm-hmm.
,
Patch (19:22):
It's a great way of making people essentially care,
because you're going throughthe whole emotions.
Carmina (19:28):
That's what people forget. Right? This is a
Broadway musical, not adocumentary.
Patch (19:33):
Right, exactly.
Carmina (19:35):
I also think that the criticism about humanizing her,
is kind of misplaced becauseyou really do need to try to
understand why the person thatwe see today potentially could
have evolved in this way. Andthat's kind of the gap that
this musical is trying to fill.
Patch (19:53):
I think it was in our first season when we were
talking about the Koreanentertainment industry.
Carmina (20:01):
Mm-hmm.
,
Patch (20:01):
They do a great job of keeping history present in
entertainment. And that'sreally important because it's
one of the ways we don't forgetabout our past. And people may
disagree with me, but I don'tbelieve the effort is popular,
or there's not a lot. This isvery encouraging to me that if
(20:22):
you do something like thiswhere it's really entertaining,
and yet it makes us look at ourhistory so we don't forget. I
think this is really important,and I'm so happy that we're
doing this.
Carmina (20:36):
The other thing that I wanted to mention is, I mean,
not the entire audience isFilipino.
Patch (20:41):
Right.
Carmina (20:42):
One of the things that I have experienced every single
time I've watched the show andwalked out of the theater,
hearing what the people aretalking about after the show.
Many times I've experiencedwhen we're already like feet
from the theater, like we're onthe street crossing, whatever,
many blocks from the theater,there would be groups of people
(21:04):
curious and hungry for morehistory. I remember one time
when I watched this with myfamily, and we were
eavesdropping incertain conversations. A lot
of, oh my God, I didn't evenknow that happened. Or what's
this part of the history, orthat part of the history. It
really took all of my effortnot to jump in to these
(21:25):
conversations,,
Patch (21:26):
Because you were obviously eavesdropping,
Carmina (21:31):
But I hope that when they got home, that they got
straight to their computer andyou know, started really
educating themselves a littledeeper aside from the show.
Patch (21:40):
Right.
Carmina (21:41):
Because a show, the 90 Minute musical, will not give
you all the color and thecontext, but from that respect,
and just anecdotally, I thinkit achieved the purpose of
making people care aboutPhilippine history, our
connection with Americanhistory, and how it resonates
with what's happening here inAmerica, and how democracies
(22:04):
are under threat all over theworld. So in that respect, I
really think it's relevant too.
Patch (22:10):
That's a good point. I didn't even think about its
relevance outside of theFilipino experience.
Carmina (22:17):
I , I'm really curious to hear your thoughts about it,
is the fact that a white dudeand or two white dudes, because
the other person who's involvedin this is Fat Boy Slim. So I
hear a lot of these commentaryabout, wow , oh my God, two ,
you know, perspective of twowhite men, and we have so many
other origin stories that wecan showcase. And so why is
(22:39):
this the one.
Patch (22:40):
Who cares? I , I have to be careful about that comment.
But if it was done withresearch, it was done with
purpose. They're the ones whowere able to put this to the
table. They're the ones whosucceeded in creating this and
making this happen. Maybe itwill open doors for Filipinos
and the artistic and creativeindustry to say, hey, if we put
(23:05):
up a show that is Filipinooriented or has the Filipino
cast, it's gonna be wonderful.
So let's keep on producingsimilar shows . Or let's keep
the Filipino talent engaged.
You know.
Carmina (23:18):
It's what happens after this that is also
important. So now we have thisfor better or for worse,
whether you like it or not,this is the first introduction
to the Philippines on Broadway.
I think it's what happens afterand who kind of takes up the
baton and continues this, thatarguably could be more
(23:39):
important. So I really hopethat after this, Filipinos are
inspired to say to themselves,I can create something now
about a topic or topics that Iwant to be out there more than
this. But opening the door tome is such an important piece
of how we're going to move thisforward. I'll take anyone's
(24:01):
help to break the door.
Patch (24:02):
Well, I mean, we do have prominent Filipino Americans or
Filipino talent, but to yourpoint, you know, if they can
use this as a door to basicallyprove that these kinds of
things can make money, thesekinds of topics, Filipino
talent will succeed. Why not?
Carmina (24:21):
We forgot to mention Lea is also part of this,
right?
Patch (24:25):
R ight.
Carmina (24:25):
Leia Salonga is one of the producers, and she was
performing in it for a limitedrun who never played a Filipino
part until now. So it's what wedo with that opportunity that
will make the difference.
Right.
Patch (24:38):
And it has to be enjoyable, entertaining,
Carmina (24:40):
Which this is.
Patch (24:41):
Definitely is.
Carmina (24:43):
Well, how about the fact that it's about Imelda? No
one is criticizing the actors.
Everybody agree that ArielleJacobs, Conrad Ricamora, Jose
Llana, they're all excellentand they're ensemble, the all
Filipino ensemble, all of themare so excellent and I'm so
proud to see them on stage. Thenegative reviews are centering
(25:05):
around these two things thatwe're talking about right now,
which are the creators and thetopic.
Patch (25:11):
Again, it doesn't take away from it being a good show.
This is not the first time thata very , uh, controversial
figure was made into a musical.
We have obviously Evita.
Carmina (25:25):
So the barometer that a lot of people measure this
against is number one, are theylying about anything or are
they hiding anything to thosetwo questions? My answer is no.
It wasn't like there wereexcuses being made during the
scenes where the atrocitieswere committed. They didn't
(25:46):
gloss over those parts. Theytalked about the atrocities and
the excesses. You can devote 90minutes to it. .
Patch (25:54):
Mm-hmm. .
Carmina (25:55):
I think it was just enough to show people there
were also these things thathappened.
Patch (26:01):
I mean, I do appreciate that they were even able to
show.
Carmina (26:06):
Yeah, 'cause that's challenging.
Patch (26:08):
Sorry, this is entertainment and a musical at
that . So they did agreat job, including that very
sensitive issue.
Carmina (26:17):
The other criticism that I read was, why are we
dancing or clapping to parts ofthe show that are showing
support? What do we say tothat?
Patch (26:27):
I say, you should watch it, honestly, , because
we can talk about it until ourthroats are sore. But the
experience itself will openyour eyes. But what I like best
is not only is it entertaining,but it makes people curious
about our history.
Carmina (26:46):
That's true. And any opportunity to showcase
Filipino talent is a greatopportunity.
Patch (26:54):
Absolutely.
Carmina (26:55):
So well said , Patch, go get your butts to a Broadway
box office and go seethe show . So Patch
congratulations on our seasontwo.
Patch (27:09):
I thought you were going to congratulate me in my
Broadway debut. Butyes. Also on season two,
Carmina (27:14):
Oh my God, you did have your Broadway debut,
. Congratulations onthat too. How can I forget
that?
Patch (27:25):
Thank you.
Carmina (27:27):
That's our last episode for season two. We hope
you join us in 2024, O siya,siya!
Patch (27:34):
Inga! Thanks for listening to FilTrip with
Carmina and Patch. SupportFilTrip through Patreon or
PayPal. And follow us onInstagram and Twitter.
Subscribe at Apple Podcasts,Spotify, or wherever all
podcasts are downloaded.
Carmina (27:53):
Thanks to Filtrip's sponsor Solepack, a functional
shoe accessory bag. Visitthesolepack.com for more
details.
Patch (28:03):
Email us at thefiltrip @gmail.com.
Welcome to FilTrip, a podcast where we explore
everything fun, weird, and inbetween about the Philippines.
And now a quick shout out.
Check out Manila Candle. ManilaCandle features Filipino
inspired scents like Tagaytay,Palawan, Ube Halaya and Buco
(00:28):
and Mango. They also have funones like Ay Nako and Bahala Ka
Sa Buhay Mo.
Patch (00:35):
Enjoy their car fresheners, wax melts and
merchandise too. Visitmanilacandle.com and take a
trip to the Philippines throughtheir scents.
Carmina (00:46):
Back to our show. Hi Patch, Happy Filipino American
History Month!
Patch (00:51):
Hi, Carmina. Happy Filipino American History Month
everyone.!
Carmina (00:55):
October was designated as the official Filipino
American History Month by USCongress in 2009. So I hope
everyone takes the month ofOctober to remember our
heritage and to celebrate beingFilipino and Filipino American.
Patch (01:12):
Part of it is we're going to talk about Here Lies
Love later.
Carmina (01:16):
And the other thing that we want to make sure
people check out is a filmtitled Asian Persuasion.
There's a tie into Broadway,actually, the person who
directed and produced it. JettTolentino is a three time Tony
Award winner and Grammy winner.
Patch (01:34):
Wow, that's so impressive.
Carmina (01:36):
He's joined in the cast by Dante Basco , Paolo
Montalban and KC Conception inthe lead roles.
Patch (01:46):
Queen
Carmina (01:47):
Yeah. So at a future episode, we hope to talk to
Jett and share it with ourlisteners.
Patch (01:53):
That's something to both us and our audience can look
forward to in the future. Ican't believe our second season
is ending.
Carmina (02:03):
Can you believe that two seasons already, Patch .
Patch (02:06):
Looking back at this season, we have our favorites.
Carmina (02:10):
I really like the episodes where we explored
Cebu. I've never been as wellas Guam.
Patch (02:17):
What about traveling back in time for me? And I'm
sure for you as well, one ofthe most emotional episodes was
our , uh, people PowerRevolution episode, which I
think for this season is ourmost popular.
Carmina (02:33):
Yes.
Patch (02:33):
Yeah. For good reason. I don't wanna say I've forgotten
about that experience, butcertainly it was kind of in the
back burner of my mind.
Carmina (02:43):
Mm-hmm.
Patch (02:43):
And when we went through that episode, the images just
really came to life again. Um,with sadness, wondering what
happened after such an iconicpart of our history, it seems
that it was erased. And so I'mvery grateful for the
opportunity to bring that back.
Carmina (03:03):
Yeah. We seem to keep , uh, picking on that scab
because
episodes in last season, right?
Not directly about the PeoplePower Revolution, but we talked
about it when we discussed theelections.
Patch (03:22):
Speaking of elections last season, we profiled our
favorite candidate. And thisseason I was grateful also to
learn about other prominentwomen in our society.
Currently, obviously MariaRessa.
Carmina (03:38):
And Patch, our girl Maria Ressa, we discovered we
have a connection with. Right?
Patch (03:43):
Right.
Carmina (03:44):
She attended our school, even if it was just for
three years.
Patch (03:52):
We're choosing to think that was a very formative time.
Carmina (03:55):
In her life.
Patch (03:56):
In her life.
Carmina (03:58):
But Patch the ones that really made me laugh so
much
Patch (04:05):
For me, the most recent was the Voltes V episode. Yes.
Carmina (04:09):
That really brought me back. The nostalgia and also
the rage.
Patch (04:15):
Did it help you with the trauma of not knowing the
ending
Carmina (04:19):
Well, I'm still traumatized because I still
don't know the ending.
Patch (04:25):
Oh right, me too .
Carmina (04:26):
Guess what though?
Patch (04:28):
What?
Carmina (04:29):
One of our listeners sent me a link to where I can
buy Blu-ray discs .
Patch (04:35):
Ooh.
Carmina (04:36):
We'll link it in our show notes if anyone else is
interested
Patch (04:40):
From start to finish?
Carmina (04:41):
Yes.
Patch (04:42):
Oh my.
Carmina (04:42):
The complete collection. So,
Patch (04:45):
Okay .
Carmina (04:45):
I guess we know what we're gonna be doing during our
break.
Patch (04:49):
Mm-hmm .
Carmina (04:50):
Oh , Patch. Guess what? So remember in episode
two, Spooktacular, Pinoy TrueCrimes.
Patch (04:57):
Yes?
Carmina (04:57):
We talked about the first serial killer in the
Philippines, or maybe even theonly serial killer that we know
of
Patch (05:10):
Really?
Carmina (05:11):
So I saw an article, I mean, back in maybe May or June
timeframe, Dennis Trilio andPiolo Pascual, who are famous
actors in the Philippines, aregoing to be playing Father
Malari in two differentformats. So Piolo Pascual will
be playing him in a film, andDennis Trilio will be playing
(05:32):
him in a series
Patch (05:35):
Oh my. Does it say where it's going to be available and
will it be available to theAmerican audience?
Carmina (05:42):
I mean, maybe the film will at some point, but the
series is airing on GMA.
Patch (05:47):
Mm-hmm.
Carmina (05:48):
I would like to think that they were inspired by our
episode
Patch (05:52):
Yes. Let's think that.
Why not? Who's going to stopus? Honestly?
Carmina (05:58):
So please join us in our delusion.
Patch (06:01):
One of my other favorite episodes was our episode about
the Manila Men being FilipinoAmerican. It's really amazing
to learn about these firstFilipino settlers, how they
lived, how they basically hadto defend themselves from fake
news
Carmina (06:21):
Exactly.
Patch (06:23):
It also saddens me that the recordings of our history
were, as we learned, alsodestroyed because of natural
causes. And also, hopefullymost of our history going
forward will be recorded inbooks, et cetera . Like you've
discussed in our past episodes,it's very hard to purchase or
(06:43):
read about anything that'srelated to Filipino American
history.
Carmina (06:47):
Yeah. Not even Filipino American. Right?
Apolinario Mabini or one of ournational heroes. All of this
important work, and I'm notjust saying important from my
perspective, important evenfrom historian's perspectives.
Patch (07:02):
Right.
Carmina (07:03):
They're not anywhere.
So yes. Call to action toanybody who would listen,
caause I haven't won my lotteryyet.
Patch (07:12):
Mm-hmm .
Carmina (07:13):
Connecting this season to next season. So we're gonna
have a bit of a break until wedrop another episode in 2024.
And because of the formats thatwe're exploring, we're thinking
of having 10 episodes perseason moving forward.
Patch (07:29):
And also Carmina, I really enjoy it when we
discover Tea
Carmina (07:34):
Uh , that is the thread between season one and
season two. And I think ourlisteners appreciate it too.
Right?
Patch (07:42):
Right.
Carmina (07:43):
One of the things that I wanted to make sure we
mentioned before we end theseason is to send a huge thank
you to our patrons.
Patch (07:51):
Yes, absolutely! We really appreciate their
support.
Carmina (07:55):
We wanna thank Solepack
Patch (07:57):
We want to thank Manila Candle.
Carmina (07:59):
And by the way, we haven't talked about this in
the past Patch, but bothSolepack and Manila Candle, are
Filipino and Filipino Americanowned , because one of the
things that we really want tobe able to do is highlight and
showcase Filipinoentrepreneurs. And of course,
our listeners. We wouldn't behere without people listening
(08:19):
to us < laugh>, or would we
there w as nobody listening tous, < laugh>.
Patch (08:28):
Nothing's gonna stop us.
Carmina (08:31):
Nothing's gonna stop us. Honestly.
Patch (08:34):
That's right. Well, you know, we are doing this also
because we have so much fungoing on this journey and
discovering what we discover.
So...
Carmina (08:44):
That's true. But of course we'd love to have new
listeners,
and our new listeners too. AndPatch , speaking of our
listeners, I discovered a newfeature on Spotify.
Patch (09:00):
What ?
Carmina (09:01):
So on Spotify. Now there's a Q&A for every
episode. So listeners, wheneveryou go to Spotify and listen to
our episodes, if you scrolldown far enough, you're going
to see a Q&A tab where you cancomment on each episode On
Apple Podcasts, you can'treally do that. It's just one
comment overall. But forSpotify, they've now activated
(09:24):
that feature. So please let usknow what you think about each
of our episodes and we'll makesure to check them and maybe
even read them out right duringour episodes.
Patch (09:34):
Oh yeah, that's a good idea.
Carmina (09:36):
Patch . The only other thing that I wanted to make
sure we mention, because it'sgoing to be very timely when we
release this episode, we areparticipating in an event
called PH Time Is Now.
Patch (09:48):
There's going to be some noteworthy personalities that
are going to speak to us aboutpersonal stories as Filipino
change makers .
Carmina (09:59):
PH Time Is Now was launched in 2018, and the big
objective is to gather FilipinoTrailblazers, mentors. So it's
gonna be hosted by Karen Davila, who is a news anchor and a
correspondent for ABS CBNnetwork. Other people who are
gonna be there are Loida,Nicolas Lewis . I mean, does
(10:22):
she need any introduction?
and don't know her, I mean,what rock have you been living
under?
Patch (10:32):
Absolutely. One of the most respected Filipino
business women out there.
Carmina (10:37):
Yep . And she's also a philanthropist and an activist
still to this day. The otherone that I wanted to make sure
we mentioned was Sheila LirioMarcelo. We talked about her in
our Filipino Entrepreneurepisode back in season one.
Patch (10:52):
And there's also Bobby Lopez , who is a double EGOT
winner. So that's veryexciting.
Carmina (10:58):
And Jose Antonio Vargas, who is a Pulitzer Prize
winning journalist. I mean, hereally kind of burst onto the
scene through his work as anadvocate for undocumented
immigrants.
Patch (11:11):
We also hope to see Beth De La Cruz , who is the
president of Jolly Bee FoodsCorporation. It's interesting
that she started her career inJolly Bee as a shift manager. I
wanna hear her journey.
Carmina (11:25):
Yeah. Do you think there's gonna be Jolly Bee at
the Harvard Club when we go
hungry. I hope she brings somePeach Mango Pie.
Patch (11:37):
That's an excellent point.
Carmina (11:40):
Or um , maybe palabok
Patch (11:44):
Okay. And also, we hope to meet Clint Ramos, who is a
Tony Award recipient.
Carmina (11:52):
So Patch , he is a recipient of a Tony Award for
best costume design of a playfor ESclipsed. And that makes
him the first person of colorto win that category.
Patch (12:04):
Wow.
Carmina (12:05):
So for people who are interested, the event is on
October 28th, it's going to beat the Harvard Club of New
York, and there are virtualseats available if people
aren't from New York or can'tmake it to New York, we're
gonna link their eventinformation in our show notes
so people can check it out andhopefully come join us or join
(12:27):
us virtually. And speaking ofClint Ramos, he is also
involved in Here Lies Love.
Patch (12:36):
I'm so happy to share
watched Hear Lies Lovetogether.
Carmina (12:43):
Yes! We were really waiting for you to be able to
watch it. Right? Because I hadall confession of an addict.
I've already watched itmultiple times, but I waited
for you to watch it from thedance floor.
Patch (12:59):
Here Lies Love is a musical that is showing in
Broadway. There's a little bitof controversy around the
topic. You know, it centersaround Emelda, Marcos and her
rise and fall. What do youthink of it being that you've
seen it several times, severaldifferent angles?I
Carmina (13:17):
I'm not really sure if I'm the most objective person
to ask about this. 'cause I amsuch a fan that I have watched
it, as you said, from severaldifferent angles. Well , let me
talk about that first,because...
Patch (13:29):
Okay.
Carmina (13:30):
That's probably the least controversial, right?
Patch (13:32):
Mm-hmm.
Carmina (13:33):
This is the first musical I've ever watched where
I've had a very differentexperience depending on where I
sat. So we encourage folks tocheck out the official website
because it really describes inmuch more detail what each of
the seating options are. ButI've already watched it from
what they call the floor sideseats on the side of the stage.
(13:55):
And it's elevated, and you veerover the railing and you can
see all the action, but there'sonly two rows on each side of
the floor side seats. And thenof course, there's the regular
mezzanine seats. From themezzanine seats. You're really
able to see a sweeping view ofeverything that's happening
down in the orchestra. The showthat we watch, from what I'm
(14:19):
calling the dance floor, isactually, you know, the
traditional orchestra. But thedifference being, they ripped
out all of the seats andcreated this disco atmosphere.
And people are basicallywatching it standing up because
the stage is at eye level.
Patch (14:37):
This stage moves around depending on the scene. You
have the actors walking andmoving around with you
essentially. It's reallyimmersive. It's also kind of
funny because you have peopleto assist and make sure that
everyone is walking in theright direction safely.
Carmina (14:57):
Right, they're called the Wranglers.
Patch (14:59):
You're not going to get lost, don't worry. It's not as
chaotic as it might sound. Butit's really very immersive. And
the whole experience outside ofthe stage moving around and the
actors being very near you, thewhole experience is , it feels
like being in a gigantic discoball.
Carmina (15:19):
Even the MC of the show, the DJ, right? Calls it
the Blender. I thought that wasreally apt.
Patch (15:25):
And I know we're like describing it to death
. Right? But it really is sounique. It's such a unique
experience, at least in whatI've seen in Broadway in the
past.
Carmina (15:38):
Not only that we're talking about the stage, but
when I was sitting in themezzanine, a lot of the key
scenes also happen in themezzanine. They utilize so many
areas of the theater, includingstairs up into the mezzanine so
that the singers are able tomove up to the mezzanine. And
when I was sitting there onetime Patch, I had people like
(16:00):
singing in my face,
Patch (16:02):
Mm-hmm.
Carmina (16:02):
That's how close they were. And that's the mezzanine
where usually you're like justseeing dots on the stage.
Patch (16:10):
find yourself seated, you willnot miss out on the action
outside of the set. Music is socatchy. My favorite one is God
Draws Straight, which was theonly acoustic song. The lyrics
are based on actual comments ofthe people who experienced that
(16:31):
particular event. How aboutyou? Which one was your
favorite? Or do you have morethan one favorite?
Carmina (16:37):
Child of the Philippines. And the other one
is this song called PerfectHand . It also recently became
my more favorite song becauseat some point in the musical,
Jose Llana, who plays Marcos,selects people from the
audience as he's moving throughthe audience. And you got
(16:59):
selected!
Patch (17:03):
That was both terrifying and exhilarating at the same
time. And it was really funnyto see my face plastered on the
screen.
Carmina (17:11):
Every time I hear that song. Now your face
is going to be the first memorythat comes up for me .
. And you described yourexpression perfectly
Like, I couldn't tell, is sheecstatic? Is she mortified?
It's both.
Patch (17:31):
I was all of that
Carmina (17:32):
And we shouldn't really gloss over the fact that
the person who conceived of allthis is David Byrne , who was
the front man for TalkingHeads, which in its time was
also its own brand of music.
Patch (17:48):
Mm-hmm.
Carmina (17:49):
And of course, the most important feature of this
whole thing is it's the firstall Filipino musical.
Patch (17:56):
Right.
Carmina (17:57):
So not only a Filipino story, but all the actors are
Filipino. It also has a largecontingent of Filipino
producers, which is also sortof a, you know, groundbreaking
thing on Broadway. There's nota lot of them ,
Patch (18:13):
And it's heartwarming to know, you know, these people
really are supportive of atrailblazing project.
Carmina (18:21):
So you mentioned earlier the controversies, and
there are many, but let'stackle the one that's really
been dominating the narrativearound this. Some of the
criticisms I've read online,say it's glorifying Imelda
Marcos, or not enough time isdevoted to talking about the
(18:42):
negative aspects of her originsor her rise to power. What do
we have to say about that?
Patch (18:48):
Well, and also I read that it was humanizing her.
Carmina (18:52):
Mm-hmm.
Patch (18:52):
I was kind of wary that that was going to be true.
Carmina (18:57):
Mm-hmm.
Patch (18:57):
But I disagree for anyone who's not familiar with
what happened to our history.
You go through and learn aboutit in such a way that A,
obviously not boring. B, youremotions are carried throughout
the whole show. So even if youdidn't live through those
(19:18):
times, you're invested in it.
Carmina (19:21):
Mm-hmm.
Patch (19:22):
It's a great way of making people essentially care,
because you're going throughthe whole emotions.
Carmina (19:28):
That's what people forget. Right? This is a
Broadway musical, not adocumentary
Patch (19:33):
Right, exactly.
Carmina (19:35):
I also think that the criticism about humanizing her,
is kind of misplaced becauseyou really do need to try to
understand why the person thatwe see today potentially could
have evolved in this way. Andthat's kind of the gap that
this musical is trying to fill.
Patch (19:53):
I think it was in our first season when we were
talking about the Koreanentertainment industry.
Carmina (20:01):
Mm-hmm.
Patch (20:01):
They do a great job of keeping history present in
entertainment. And that'sreally important because it's
one of the ways we don't forgetabout our past. And people may
disagree with me, but I don'tbelieve the effort is popular,
or there's not a lot. This isvery encouraging to me that if
(20:22):
you do something like thiswhere it's really entertaining,
and yet it makes us look at ourhistory so we don't forget. I
think this is really important,and I'm so happy that we're
doing this.
Carmina (20:36):
The other thing that I wanted to mention is, I mean,
not the entire audience isFilipino.
Patch (20:41):
Right.
Carmina (20:42):
One of the things that I have experienced every single
time I've watched the show andwalked out of the theater,
hearing what the people aretalking about after the show.
Many times I've experiencedwhen we're already like feet
from the theater, like we're onthe street crossing, whatever,
many blocks from the theater,there would be groups of people
(21:04):
curious and hungry for morehistory. I remember one time
when I watched this with myfamily, and we were
eavesdropping
of, oh my God, I didn't evenknow that happened. Or what's
this part of the history, orthat part of the history. It
really took all of my effortnot to jump in
(21:25):
conversations,
Patch (21:26):
Because you were obviously eavesdropping,
Carmina (21:31):
But I hope that when they got home, that they got
straight to their computer andyou know, started really
educating themselves a littledeeper aside from the show.
Patch (21:40):
Right.
Carmina (21:41):
Because a show, the 90 Minute musical, will not give
you all the color and thecontext, but from that respect,
and just anecdotally, I thinkit achieved the purpose of
making people care aboutPhilippine history, our
connection with Americanhistory, and how it resonates
with what's happening here inAmerica, and how democracies
(22:04):
are under threat all over theworld. So in that respect, I
really think it's relevant too.
Patch (22:10):
That's a good point. I didn't even think about its
relevance outside of theFilipino experience.
Carmina (22:17):
I , I'm really curious to hear your thoughts about it,
is the fact that a white dudeand or two white dudes, because
the other person who's involvedin this is Fat Boy Slim. So I
hear a lot of these commentaryabout, wow , oh my God, two ,
you know, perspective of twowhite men, and we have so many
other origin stories that wecan showcase. And so why is
(22:39):
this the one.
Patch (22:40):
Who cares? I , I have to be careful about that comment.
But if it was done withresearch, it was done with
purpose. They're the ones whowere able to put this to the
table. They're the ones whosucceeded in creating this and
making this happen. Maybe itwill open doors for Filipinos
and the artistic and creativeindustry to say, hey, if we put
(23:05):
up a show that is Filipinooriented or has the Filipino
cast, it's gonna be wonderful.
So let's keep on producingsimilar shows . Or let's keep
the Filipino talent engaged.
You know.
Carmina (23:18):
It's what happens after this that is also
important. So now we have thisfor better or for worse,
whether you like it or not,this is the first introduction
to the Philippines on Broadway.
I think it's what happens afterand who kind of takes up the
baton and continues this, thatarguably could be more
(23:39):
important. So I really hopethat after this, Filipinos are
inspired to say to themselves,I can create something now
about a topic or topics that Iwant to be out there more than
this. But opening the door tome is such an important piece
of how we're going to move thisforward. I'll take anyone's
(24:01):
help to break the door.
Patch (24:02):
Well, I mean, we do have prominent Filipino Americans or
Filipino talent, but to yourpoint, you know, if they can
use this as a door to basicallyprove that these kinds of
things can make money, thesekinds of topics, Filipino
talent will succeed. Why not?
Carmina (24:21):
We forgot to mention Lea is also part of this,
right?
Patch (24:25):
R ight.
Carmina (24:25):
Leia Salonga is one of the producers, and she was
performing in it for a limitedrun who never played a Filipino
part until now. So it's what wedo with that opportunity that
will make the difference.
Right.
Patch (24:38):
And it has to be enjoyable, entertaining,
Carmina (24:40):
Which this is.
Patch (24:41):
Definitely is.
Carmina (24:43):
Well, how about the fact that it's about Imelda? No
one is criticizing the actors.
Everybody agree that ArielleJacobs, Conrad Ricamora, Jose
Llana, they're all excellentand they're ensemble, the all
Filipino ensemble, all of themare so excellent and I'm so
proud to see them on stage. Thenegative reviews are centering
(25:05):
around these two things thatwe're talking about right now,
which are the creators and thetopic.
Patch (25:11):
Again, it doesn't take away from it being a good show.
This is not the first time thata very , uh, controversial
figure was made into a musical.
We have obviously Evita.
Carmina (25:25):
So the barometer that a lot of people measure this
against is number one, are theylying about anything or are
they hiding anything to thosetwo questions? My answer is no.
It wasn't like there wereexcuses being made during the
scenes where the atrocitieswere committed. They didn't
(25:46):
gloss over those parts. Theytalked about the atrocities and
the excesses. You can devote 90minutes to it.
Patch (25:54):
Mm-hmm.
Carmina (25:55):
I think it was just enough to show people there
were also these things thathappened.
Patch (26:01):
I mean, I do appreciate that they were even able to
show.
Carmina (26:06):
Yeah, 'cause that's challenging.
Patch (26:08):
Sorry, this is entertainment and a musical at
that
sensitive issue.
Carmina (26:17):
The other criticism that I read was, why are we
dancing or clapping to parts ofthe show that are showing
support? What do we say tothat?
Patch (26:27):
I say, you should watch it, honestly,
we can talk about it until ourthroats are sore. But the
experience itself will openyour eyes. But what I like best
is not only is it entertaining,but it makes people curious
about our history.
Carmina (26:46):
That's true. And any opportunity to showcase
Filipino talent is a greatopportunity.
Patch (26:54):
Absolutely.
Carmina (26:55):
So well said , Patch, go get your butts to a Broadway
congratulations on our seasontwo.
Patch (27:09):
I thought you were going to congratulate me in my
Broadway debut
Carmina (27:14):
Oh my God, you did have your Broadway debut,
that?
Patch (27:25):
Thank you.
Carmina (27:27):
That's our last episode for season two. We hope
you join us in 2024, O siya,siya!
Patch (27:34):
Inga! Thanks for listening to FilTrip with
Carmina and Patch. SupportFilTrip through Patreon or
PayPal. And follow us onInstagram and Twitter.
Subscribe at Apple Podcasts,Spotify, or wherever all
podcasts are downloaded.
Carmina (27:53):
Thanks to Filtrip's sponsor Solepack, a functional
shoe accessory bag. Visitthesolepack.com for more
details.
Patch (28:03):
Email us at thefiltrip @gmail.com.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!