Megan and Mitoy: Beauty and The Voice

The Filipinos were treated to one great weekend on September 27 & 28 respectively. Our worlds stopped for a while and we were all glued to our TV sets because of two “firsts” for us – the win of Megan Lynne Young, as Miss World 2013, and that of Mitoy Yongting as The Voice of the Philippines. Oh yes, we have reasons to be proud of!!! And now that the excitement and happiness have slightly sunk in, EXTRA would like to celebrate these achievements, by having my FIRST official write up.

A Young Enlightenment

What does Megan’s win in Miss World 2013 have given us? Happiness, hope, enlightenment and something we can all be proud of as individuals. After the wins of Mutya Johanna Datul in Miss Supranational 2013; and that of the Dragon Fireworks in Pyronale (in Germany); including Lee Van Corteza and Dennis Orcollo’s in the World Cup of Pool, came a young lady, who gave her all in the international competition, bringing and wearing our country’s name with PRIDE, HONOR, DIGNITY and HUMANITY.

Megan came to Bali, Indonesia with one goal in mind – to represent our country the best way she could. Prior to her arrival in the Muslim nation, few days after winning Miss World Philippines in August, many believed – friends and critics alike – that she will bring home that one crown Evangeline Pascual and Gwendolyn Ruais almost took home in 1973 and 2011 respectively. She is not the first actress to have represented the country in the competition. Sharmaine Ruffa Gutierrez in 1993 made waves in South Africa back then when she brought home the second princess honors, the pageant’s equivalent to a third place finish.

The win for Megan confirmed her favoritism from the very beginning. And we have read and seen it reported many times. However, what was the clearest indication that she will win? Apart from having a great insight on why she should become Miss World 2013, I can cite two instances. One is that slight technical glitch before she delivered her answer, which allowed for “half of the Philippines” in the auditorium to boost her confidence, and relax her a bit. Second, is the interview to her mom, minutes away before the announcement of the winners in the pageant. That is what I call “stating the obvious, but increasing the adrenaline”!

Yes, it seems that half of the Philippines is in Indonesia supporting Megan. And where is the other half? Here in our hometown, experiencing rains with hopes that those involved in recent controversies and warfare will eventually LESSEN their PRIDE, END it with HONOR, LIVE with DIGNITY and SHARE a lot of HUMANITY.

While some others are watching the performance night of The Voice on a Saturday evening, and still others could not care less, Megan shared this to the world: “Miss World treasures the core value of humanity, and that guides people why they act the way they do. I will use this to show other people how they can understand each other… as one together, we can help society.” And she promised to be the “best Miss World ever”! Indeed, such a strong statement from the first Filipina who won the elusive blue crown.

Mitoy Belted Help!

For the final showdown, Mitoy Yonting belted out The Beatles’ Help! It is definitely what he needed against a Sarah Geronimo fanbase.

But let us talk about one of the many facets of the competition – the winner’s marketability. Which of the two – Mitoy or Klarisse – can bring in the big cash for the producers?

The person we love to see perform with a voice that literally brings the house down? Or that girl we have grown to love to listen to because of her soothing voice? Klarisse De Guzman became Mitoy’s threat because of her coach’s huge fan base – Sarah Geronimo’s Popsters could not be outdone. However, with or without the Popsters, she is undeniably talented.

Upon hearing (and expecting) that it’s going to be a Mitoy vs Klarisse showdown, I went all the way for Mitoy. Mitoy is a performer. You would rather see him perform live than listen to his recorded songs. He is such A PERFORMER. But then again, you would not miss owning his CD or downloading his songs. Klarisse, on the other hand, is a recording artist material – over Janice, Mike, and even Mitoy. You want to own her CD and listen to her voice right away.. As long as you have her songs downloaded to your iPods, yes, you could not help pressing the rewind button.

However, Mitoy is a welcome break to the current trend of male singers – good looking, polished, and Belo-fied. He can even give Jed Madella a run for his money, and can easily be tagged as the Comedy Concert King! Klarisse can compete with the current mold of female singers in the industry – and no offense to some of them, she is even better. She can be a big threat to other ABS-CBN’s homegrown talents, more so to her coach. Both can belt out songs, and can capture the audience in two different ways.

All good things have been said to all the finalist of The Voice of The Philippines. And all of them are just waiting to exhale for their first recording of their upcoming albums. Two weeks in a row, I have been watching and looking at the possibilities of who will become the VOICE. And mind you, I was as nervous as the coaches during the announcement of the winner.

Mitoy is the people’s chosen one. And I have to agree with the votes. (But Klarisse is there, pinching my heart with her every note). Mitoy was not one of the many 4-chair turners who happened to bowed out early in the competition early. But his VOICE in the blind auditions locked him a win for Team Lea. The whole country was just waiting for him to be declared as the champion. And he has been right all along – this is not THE LOOK of the Philippines, rather THE VOICE of the Philippines. Yes Mitoy, we heard you, loud and clear.

Megan and Mitoy’s stories started with a dream. And those dreams have been fulfilled.
To Megan, thank you for giving us a reason to smile, in these challenging times.
To Mitoy, thank you for letting your voice be heard!

Post Script: Now that September has ended, do we sing Greenday’s song, “…wake me up, when September ends…?” Just a thought!