Acting, Music and Healing

Guess who has decided to be somehow active again on social media these days?

The musical director Danny Tan, that’s who. 

Tan was single-handedly pushed into a pariah by singer Gerald Santos by reviving his charge of sexual violation against Tan in 2005 at the heels of young actor Sandro Muhlach’s accusation of sexual molestation against two TV independent contractors in July 2024. 

Tan happens to be the last musical director of the recently departed National Artist Nora Aunor in her once very popular TV show Superstar on RPN 9, which aired from 1975 to 1989. Remember that Aunor was first a champion amateur singer on the iconic TV singing contest Tawag ng Tanghalan before she became a critically acclaimed and award-winning actress? 

It also happened that another unarguably remarkable (if not legendary) singer, Pilita Corrales, who passed on a few days before the phenomenal Aunor did, had been a guest a few times in that TV show and her vocal duets with the superstar had Tan also as musical arranger, seemingly the choice of the TV show’s renowned director, Al Quinn. 

Tan, now in his mid-60s, has been reposting his YouTube video clips of Aunor’s most notable performances, including those with Corrales. He has been doing it on Facebook as Daniel Tan. All the clips are festooned with the label “Danny Tan composer,” so it cannot be doubted that it’s the Danny Tan that Santos has accused of sexual molestation. 

Santos named the musical director as the person who raped him when he was just a 15-year-old contestant in a singing contest on GMA 7 in 2005.

Santos, now in his early 30s, did so at the August 2024 hearings of the Senate committee on public information and mass media, chaired by actor-senators Robin Padilla and Jinggoy Estrada. 

Santos also accused Tan of causing him to lose what he thought could have been a lucrative career in the music industry.

In September 2024, the entertainment website Pep.ph reported that Tan deactivated both his Facebook and Instagram accounts.

The website also reported that Tan had stopped updating his YouTube channel which has accumulated about 50,000 subscribers. 

It’s possible that Santos has seen those reposts and it must be in deference to the demise of our Superstar that he does not react negatively to Tan making himself somehow visible again at least on social media. 

Meanwhile, Santos is set to play the lead role in the upcoming original Filipino musical Haphow, produced by CityDanse Academy. 

The musical will be staged at Newport World Resorts in May and tells a story about friendship, environmental conservation and self-discovery. The songs’ composer is MJ Aspacio. 

Healing

As for Sandro Muhlach, 24, online reports quote his father, actor Niño Muhlach, as saying the young man is on the road to healing while staying firm in his decision to fight his legal battle.

The father reveals that his son has begun to accept assignments from GMA-7 where he is a contract star.

A significant source of strength for Sandro has been his girlfriend, Shanelle Agustin, according to his father in a media interview.

“Dati, hindi siya kumakain. Ang laking bagay ni Shanelle. Hindi siya pinabayaan, kumbaga naging sandigan niya. Believe ako sa bata. ‘Di niya pinabayaan, pinatunayan mahal niya, (In the past he refused to eat. But Shanelle helped him. I have great respect for her. She did not abandon him. She proved her love for him),” the elder Muhlach bared. Sandro remains to be a guy worth loving. 

Agustin, 22, is actually a GMA Sparkle star, too, like her boyfriend Sandro. In August last year, Agustin top-billed the episode “Lies, Likes, and Life” in the network’s limited morning series Okey Ako. The episode tackled social media addiction. 

In March, the younger Muhlach testified in court for the first time to pursue his case against GMA-7 independent contractor Richard Cruz and Jojo Nones. The network’s GMA News Online itself reported about the young actor’s court appearance.

In an interview with John Consulta for GMA Integrated News, Muhlach said that although he was not able to finish his testimony, a weight had been lifted off his chest.

‘Buwan ng Panitikan’

The country is celebrating “Buwan ng Panitikan” (National Literature Month) this April, with the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) spearheading the festivities. Though there is an abundance of literature in English created by Filipino writers, the NCCA decided to focus on what’s written in Filipino/Tagalog and other Philippine languages, such as Ilocano, Bicolano, Hiligaynon, and  even Ivatan (the language in the Batanes islands up north.)

The Commission does not say so but it must be disgusted with how the Filipinos have been murdering the Filipino/Tagalog language as evidenced by badly written posts on social media. We’re alarmed by how netizens have been spelling so many phrases as one word as if they do not know that those phrases are made up of several words, such as “napo” which should be written as “na po.” Or “naba,” which should be written as “na ba.”

English is, of course, also terribly written by netizens. Many write “in front of” as “infront of,” and “based on experience” as “based from experience.”

Literature is not just the grammar of a language, of course. But how can people appreciate literature when they have no sense of grammar and don’t even use punctuation marks to share their sentiments and opinions on social media.

The NCCA promotes both written and spoken literature. Early this April, it presented the improv group SPIT whose members are adept at using  words in English and Filipino/Tagalog in addressing its audience colloquially to draw laughter or to stress values humorously. 

The comic troupe did a show at the cozy Manila Metropolitan Theater. We do know that one of the country’s leading stage actors, the Ateneo educator Missy Maramara, who has a PhD in Theater Arts is a SPIT member, though she wasn’t in the group that performed at the Met

Buwan ng Panitikan events are held in many schools in the country, including those in the Bicol region, in the Visayas and Mindanao. There will be recitation of poems, reading of excerpts from short stories and novels in Filipino/Tagalog, English, and other Philippine languages. There will be scholarly discussions and talks.

The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino is highly involved in many Buwan ng Panitikan events. Some events will be held at the Ateneo de Manila University and the University of Sto. Tomas. 

Panitikang Filipino is really all over the place for our education and enjoyment. And edification!