Jessica Soho: A Serious Question for the Brave Journalist

“Ms. Jessica Soho, would you allow yourself to talk about your love life?”

Someone should dare to ask the now even more visible Kapuso Network journalist, as she has been going to cinemas in malls to promote Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho Horror Stories, the movie based on her Sunday magazine show Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho.

We know by now that even hardcore journalists keep romantic dalliances — with the widespread announcement of fellow GMA News journalist Atom Araullo’s outright admission at Boy Abunda’s Fast Talk that he is ready to marry investigative journalist Zen Hernandez of ABS-CBN where Araullo used to work.

So, it’s not at all silly and pertinent to ask Ma’am Jessica about her love life. Yes, we are assuming she has one.

By the way, Araullo’s open admission of a long “secret” romance easily proves that even as investigative journos choose to cover the most abject, sleaziest and unglamorous conditions in the country, they manage to keep clean, happy lives. They are not personally and profitably entangled with private and public corruption in the country.

New song about corruption in government launched

Speaking of corruption, we seem desperate to solve it all on our own. There is a non-religious group, Artikulo Onse, which has decided to produce a single titled, “O Panginoon, Pangunahan Mo Ang Pagbabago.” The group, through Impact Publishing and Production (IPP), beseeches God to lead the institution of reforms in the country, including moral renewal among government officials and the citizenry. 

The song was recorded by the lovely Jannah Zaplan of ABS-CBN Rising Star, which is not under Star Music. Zaplan recorded it independently for IPP, not for ABS-CBN. It was launched at Tribute Hotel in Scout Ganda St. in Quezon City at high noon on Monday (1 December). Zaplan’s father, her constant escort when she attends events, was at the launch where no ABS-CBN executives and staff were around. 

Some journos asked the dad why there were no ABS-CBN people at the launch (except for a coverage team invited by publicist Boy Villasanta). The father replied that he informed ABS-CBN about the independent recording and invited some executives to the launch — but nobody came. The dad stressed that no one at ABS-CBN objected to Zaplan’s recording a song outside her ABS-CBN contract. 

Impact Publishing and Production is headed by Ricky Rivera, a known political publicist who is a member of Artikulo Onse. It was he who chose Zaplan to record the song, which is just one out of seven he composed out of desperation for this country and its loss of morality and concern for each other. He didn’t say though if he plans to have the other six songs recorded all by Zaplan.  

“O Panginoon, Pangunahan Mo Ang Pagbabago” is, of course, a serious song as all lamentations are. In terms of melody, the song isn’t likely to become a big hit. Its lyrics, though un-poetic and un-literary, are relatable to any Filipino who know that contractors are dealers of grease money to our political leaders and Filipinos love hearing about stories of the suddenly affluent from being private contractors. 

The song’s music video includes Zaplan dancing in some shores in jazz ballet moves to interpret the message of the composition. Zaplan gets an A for effort for her dancing. 

It is said that God does not intervene with human affairs until God sees enough actions that convince Him about the positive directions humankind is taking. It is also said that God helps those who help themselves. God is quoted to have once declared: “Just do it, and I’ll be at your back.”

It may not be enough for us, Filipinos, to keep denouncing the corrupt, keep wishing them jailed or dead. The corrupt and the corruptors have children and grandchildren, nephews, nieces and cousins. Corruption and apathy are rooted among the families of even the seemingly decent ones. 

What can Pinoys do to prove they do not encourage and tolerate affluence and glamor achieved through corruption? They should stop socializing with their countrymen whose wealth has long been rumored to have been achieved through fraudulence and connivance with errant politicians and government officials. Actually, even government officials are attracted to the affluent despite talks about how they earned their billions. Janet Napoles and her children have government officials as guests at their parties. And many showbiz idols, too, get paid hundreds of thousands of pesos for a song or two.

When God sees we don’t consort with criminals, He will lead moral reformation in this country.