Pauline repeatedly sang her heart out
of her desire not only to prevail
in the contest but also to declare
her faith in perseverance the yearlong
songfest instilled. After her stint, Froilan
brought forth his educational prowess,
expert musicality and ethnic
influence to render the perfect match,
Anak, to an earlier contest piece
about a mother, which joined the jurors
and the text votes in agreement: he topped
that day’s poll. I’m heartened that Sam, like me,
believes in angels, particularly
those that supported his rise to fame in
spite of the surprise that his song’s author,
Yeng, was judging him that day. A challenge
he rose to. Gidget came to Laguna,
a homecoming so vibrant never mind
if the memory choked her up and she
forgot the lyrics. What was important
was the overwhelming love her father
brought back along with Laguna’s assist.
Meycauayan welcomed singing princess,
Eumee. Her lola’s request brought back tears
to them and elicited a comment
from the lead juror that the collective
emotive embrace of everybody
put the contest in proper perspective.
Abraham de la Torre
