Gender matters

A transwoman was wildly applauded in her portrayal of the lead female character in a romantic hetero narrative. A trans actress-host-singer who is among the highest individual taxpayers in Quezon City denounces corrupt government officials for stealing her taxes to finance their lavish living.

Those two events are among the latest click-baiting stories in PInoy showbiz. 

The trans-actor is Lance Reblando who was zealously applauded as the all-female Julia in the zarzuela Walang Aray previewed to the press by Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) on Thursday night (28 August) at the PETA Theater Center near Broadway Avenue in Quezon City. Her leading man is the self-admitted gay actor Gio Gahol.

Likewise, a trans actor-singer in a supporting role in the same production was also well-applauded. It’s Ice Seguerra, a  former child star who used to be known as Aiza Seguerra. He played assistant and close friend of the lead male character. As Lucas, Seguerra even has a girlfriend in the story set during the years of the revolution against the invading Spaniards who reigned in the archipelago for 300 years. 

The zarzuela director has a surname that sounds almost the same as Seguerra. It’s Ian Segarra, who started in PETA as an actor. He does not identify as gay. 

Walang Aray is an uproarious and rowdy musical, which has three actors alternating as Julia in the musical’s run from 29 August to mid-October, the other two being the biological Marynor Madamesila and Shaira Opsimar. 

We randomly asked some viewers if they knew that the lead female character was portrayed by a transwoman, and all those we chanced upon did not know it. Actually, even as that Thursday night run was dubbed press preview, majority of the viewers were show buyers, friends and relatives of the cast and crew, and thespians from other theater companies. 

Ateneo de Manila University’s much talked about young director-playwright Guelan Luarca was in the audience. Having done graduate school in Ateneo, we do know that there’s a lot of trans students there and a few trans teachers. Luarca may just be thinking of casting trans persons in his critically acclaimed productions on campus. 

By the way, film-TV actor-host Jolina Magdangal makes her debut in Walang Aray as Juana, the mother of Julia. She was a riot, too, as she acted like a veteran thespian as a loquacious mother obsessed with marrying off her only child to a rich man’s son. Magdangal alternates on the role with seasoned stage actor Neomi Gonzales. The production has a big cast, actually and is all worth buying tickets for. 

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Acknowledged among the Top 10 individual taxpayers in QC, Vice Ganda half-jokingly denounced government officials for squandering his taxes on their flaunted lavish lives. The trans but extremely talented Ganda cracked the joke in her Instagram Story posted from London while she is staying there with a bunch of unnamed ABS-CBN stars slated to appear in a taping of the Sunday musical-variety show ASAP Natin ‘To on Saturday in Birmingham. Ganda’s partner, Ion Perez, a mainstay talent on ABS-CBN’ s daily noontime fare It’s Showtime, is not with the bunch flown to London. 

Ganda admitted in her social media posting that what prompted her to denounce corrupt Philippine government officials was the London bunch having to go to the market to buy food to cook on their own in their BnB billet since they find prices in London restaurants atrociously high. 

They cooked the famous Philippine adobo and ended up reheating it for three days for all of them to share. 

Along with pics of the food they themselves cooked, Ganda posted: “Super tipid ako dito sa kasi ang mahal (I am watching my expenses here in London because it is so expensive).”

“Kaya namalengke na lang kami nung first day at nagluto dito sa airbnb (We went to market on the first day and did some cooking in our airbnb).”

“Pangatlong araw na naming iniinit tong natirang adobo (This is our third day of eating reheated adobo.)”

“Tapos bigla kong naalala ung milyon milyon kong tax na pinaghahati-hatian ng mga garapal na magnanakaw. Aray koooo (And then I was reminded of the millions in taxes I paid that were divided among brazen thieves. Ouch)!!!!”

Ganda has not been minding her becoming controversial for the things she says and does on- and off camera. Actually, she seems to be fearless these days. For as long as she doesn’t become a contractor for flood control, Pinoys seem to welcome her flood of words.