TELENOVELA 2012: EVENTS THAT ROCKED THE PHILIPPINES

A trial, a standoff, and the occasional brawl, complete with sinners and saints, as well as kings and queens. These are the right ingredients which made up the soap opera that unfolded before our nation's eyes for the past twelve months. It is a telenovela like no other, even unparalleled by this year's Walang Hanggan. Take my hand and walk with me along memory lane to delve in twelve events that rocked the Philippines this 2012.

12. Sottocopy: The Tito Sotto Plagiarism Case

Let’s begin this telenovela with the comic relief. And boy, this first newsmaker really knows how to pull the right strings to make us laugh. He managed to make himself look hilarious, not just once but—twice! In November, not only did Senator Vicente Sotto III copy his earlier privilege speech against the Reproductive Health Bill from US bloggers, he also plagiarized his second privilege speech from former US Senator Robert Kennedy and tried pass it off as original by translating it to Filipino. To add insult to his injury, netizens let loose a barrage of bad publicity and mocking memes against him.

11. The Battle of NAIA: Claudine and Raymart Santiago vs. The Tulfo Brothers

Any telenovela ain’t cool without the occasional brawl, complete with the damsel in distress, her dashing defender, and the cocky aggressor together with his oh-so-cocky posse. But in May this year, we can’t distinguish who is the antagonist and not in the airport fist fight between Claudine Barreto and Raymart Santiago against Philippine Daily Inquirer Ramon Tulfo. But who cares? We all enjoyed fifteen minutes of raw action enough to give Manny Pacquiao a run for his money.

10. Even the Best Fall Down: The End for Pacquiao?

A hero who gets beaten up once in a while? A telenovela classic! Manny Pacquiao made us cringe twice this year: first, during his controversial split decision loss against Timothy Bradley in June; and second, during his epic downfall during his fourth bout with Juan Manuel Marquez this December. Whether this is the end of the line for his boxing career, only Pacquiao can tell. Nevertheless, a hero should always have a graceful exit when he reaches the end of the line.

9. Sainthood: The Blessed Pedro Calungsod Story

A touch of the divine is quintessential to a classic Pinoy telenovela (e.g. Aso ni San Roque, 100 Days to Heaven, or May Bukas Pa). Hence, when the Catholic Church decided to anoint Blessed Pedro Calungsod as the Philippines’ second saint in October, we all felt a certain proximity to the divine once more. For the second time, the country has a new patron to devote to—a new representative in heaven to intercede for us in the face of God.

8. Comedy King: A Nation Mourns Dolphy’s Death

Another melodramatic scene our nation’s telenovela won’t be without is that of a well-loved family man (sometimes woman) lying close to death in a hospital bed. In July this year, the nation lost another icon who was well-loved for his witty and unparalleled way of making us laugh. Dolphy Quizon’s death left a void in our hearts he once filled with his slapstick kind of comedy and true-to-life portrayal of characters we can all relate to in our ordinary lives.

7. The Anti-Cybercrime Law Fiasco

Telenovelas never run out of rebels like Pirena in Encantadia or Andrea in Dahil sa Pag-ibig. So when the Philippine Congress decided to pass the Philippine Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, Internet rebels went berserk unleashing a stream of memes, tweets, status updates, and denial-of-service attacks expressing their disapproval of the said measure which is feared by netizens as the first step in curtailing Internet freedom.

6. Peace in Our Time: The Bangsamoro Framework Agreement

Sure enough, a telenovela always has a part where two opposing characters make peace with each other. In October, the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, two forces that have been at war for more than a decade finally made peace and agreed to draft a framework for the creation of an autonomous Islamic region in Mindanao to replace the ARMM. The historic pact is expected to bring an end to decades-old violence that have displaced and killed thousands.

5. The Purple Revolution: Victory for the Reproductive Health Bill

Legal drama isn’t exactly the cup of tea of Filipino viewers but ever since ex-President Joseph Estrada’s impeachment trial in 2001, we Filipinos have enjoyed watching proceedings in both houses of Congress. Hence, with the proliferation of 24-hour news channels, congressional hearings have turned into soap operas Filipinos have been glued into. Hence, we followed the debates both in and out of Congress regarding the controversial Reproductive Health Bill. Never in our history has such a bill divided our nation so much to the point of excommunication and intimidation. But this month, after President Aquino marked the bill as urgent, the RH Bill quickly and smoothly passed in both houses and in the bicameral committee, with only a signature pending before it becomes a law that would benefit millions of women and families nationwide.

4. Nature’s Wrath: Cataclysms of 2012

A timely rain scene or tempest will always be present in any telenovela, even so in a country which experiences at least 20 typhoons in a year. This year, history repeated itself when days of torrential rain brought Metro Manila to a halt back in August and when Typhoon Pablo (Bopha) ravaged the island of Mindanao almost a year after Typhoon Sendong (Washi) devastated the same region. The ground shifted and shook some parts of the archipelago as well. In February, Negros Oriental was hit by a rare 6.8 magnitude earthquake that destroyed its rustic churches and other structures. In September, panic gripped the islanders of Samar, Dinagat Islands, and Siargao when a 7.6 magnitude tremor prompted an evacuation due to fears of a tsunami hitting the region. Nevertheless, the innate resilience of Filipinos in every natural calamity still remains, enabling them to stand up once more after flood and rain.

3. Jesse Robredo: An Exemplar in Leadership

Tragedy is an important element in every telenovela’s denouement. What makes the tragedy even more tragic is when it involves a character looked upon by many, beloved by his family and peers, and known to all for his incorruptible spirit amidst the corruption around him. This was the story of late DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo, who the Filipino nation lost in August after his plane crashed off the coast of Masbate. This was the first time since the death of late President Ramon Magsaysay that we witnessed how one highly-regarded man was loved and idolized by so many ordinary people after his death.

2. Standoff at Panatag Shoal

A hostage drama of epic proportions is what we witnessed in April when naval forces from the People’s Republic of China tried to hostage our own territory of Panatag Shoal. But unlike in the past when our Navy has allowed the Chinese to hostage our own land and people within our own waters, we stood our ground this time. We spoke softly and stared our enemy in the eye without moving a muscle in a show of defiance against China’s encroachment in the West Philippine Sea. And when the tension diffused, we gracefully walked away from the standoff with hearts still adamant in claiming what is rightfully ours.

1. Our Finest Hour: The Impeachment Trial of Renato Corona

The Philippines’ finest hour began at the start of the year when the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona opened in the Senate. For four months, four days in a week, our afternoons were preoccupied by our religious following of the trial of the year. It was the perfect climax to the nation’s telenovela with the lead antagonist breaking down on live TV and sauteing himself in his own grease. We applauded the Senators who voted in favor of conviction, frowned at the four who voted against, and chuckled at some of the hilarious speeches and antics from both the lawyers and legislator-judges. In the end, our representatives made a historic decision that would go down in the annals of democracy. For the first time, a nation was able to remove a person out of the pedestal he no longer deserved and served well without taking to the streets. Indeed, our society has grown mature with this exercise in democracy.

As the year comes to a close, the telenovela won’t. It shall enter a new chapter, a new phase, and it won’t miss the same ingredients that made the episodes of 2012 worth watching for. No matter what characters appear, regardless of the twists and surprises in the plot, let us not forget the values and lessons we are supposed learn from this perpetual circle of life.

As 2013 draws near, may we continue to grow as a nation—both in mind, heart, and spirit—while holding on to the very values that make us all a nation of Filipinos. TSS