AFTER a resounding success in Britain and the US, the BBC-produced television game show "The Weakest Link" has now burst upon the Philippines, brought to Pinoy audiences by Viva Television. It follows closely upon the heels of another British import, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire", which is also produced by Viva for the Philippine market.
Actor Edu Manzano hosts the Pinoy version of "Weakest Link", but Anne Robinson has created a cult following as the presenter of the UK and US versions. I first saw the show in the US last year, and liked it immediately. Robinson's stern teacher-like performance is quintessentially British. For those of you haven't seen the show, a group of ten people must answer a series of questions correctly, and as they do so the value of each question increases. Each round is timed, starting at 3 minutes for the first round. 10 seconds are lopped off the clock on each succeeding round, and at the end of each round all contestants must vote off one contestant whom they consider to be the weakest. The last person left wins the jackpot of accumulated winnings.
This is where Robinson's performance as a nasty schoolteacher comes into play, with her asking witheringly mean questions to players who have done particularly badly in a round. After the contestants vote, the person with the most votes must leave the game. This is where Robinson snarls: "I'm sorry, blank, but you're the weakest link. Goodbye!"
"The Weakest Link" taps into the ugly underside of human nature, the part that likes to see other people be publicly humiliated and made fools of. The problem here is the thin line that separates the showbiz, make-believe performance aspect of Robinson hamming it up by being mean, and the undercurrent of real nastiness that seems to be lurking there. I have often watched cocky contestants at the beginning of the show be reduced to humiliated and angry ones by the time they are voted off. The transformation is amazing, going from smug flipness to worried uncertainty, and finally to being just plain upset.
It this aspect of British culture, that of using witty putdowns to verbally joust with others, that a Filipino sociologist decried this week on Studio 23's "Points of View" talk show. He claimed that "The Weakest Link" was introducing an alien concept into Philippine culture, a Western concept that Filipinos until today were not used to. He admitted that although Filipinos may be good at criticizing each other behind each other's back, they never do so face-to-face in a public forum.
As in Britain and the US, the sociologist noted that certain expressions such as "Sorry you're the weakest link!" or "Goodbye!" were popping up in popular conversations and text messages.
I beg to differ with the sociologist. I don't think that Philippine culture is in danger because of "Weakest Link" sarcasm unleashed on Philippine TV viewers. The truth of the matter is that in an increasingly intertwined world, the Philippines is going to be exposed to more foreign attitudes than in the past. I think most viewers will understand that the extreme sarcasm and nastiness of the "Weakest Link" is just for entertainment and not a model of behavior for everyday life.
As Jessica Zafra rightly said on "POV", she'd rather watch someone win something with their intelligence than watch Mexican actors speaking Tagalog in a dubbed telenovela. I couldn't agree more.
****
Insight into a criminal investigation
THE ONGOING criminal investigation into the murder of actress Nida Blanca is providing the public with a fascinating look at the progress of the probe.
Of course, it is the fact that Blanca was such a famous star that has compelled the National Bureau of Investigation to release almost daily updates on what it is piecing together. Most murders are investigated in private with much less information released to the public. Naturally, the NBI has been withholding some essential information so as not to jeopardize its investigation.
What is amazing is that Blanca's husband, Rod Strunk, a prime suspect from day one, has until today refused to take an NBI polygraph lie detector test. The more Strunk refuses to take the test, the more the NBI is telling the public that he is one of the murder suspects, and that it is only a matter of time before they gather enough evidence to implicate him in a court of law.
I have full confidence in the NBI, and feel that they will crack the case sooner rather than later. The murderers left behind too many loose ends, and eventually they will unravel. Suspects will break under the pressure of being constantly monitored and questioned, and the truth in all of its ugliness will come tumbling out. There is hardly such a thing as a perfect crime, and when so many people were involved, such as in Blanca's case, the easier it is for the truth to come out.
****
More US troops to Mindanao
IT SEEMS that the Philippine government, wisely, has given in to American pressure and has allowed more US troops to be deployed to Mindanao to help in rescuing the American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham, kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf last May.
Presidential spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao admitted last week that the Philippine government had decided to allow the US to deploy more troops to help in the rescue effort, even allowing them to inspect the frontlines in Basilan itself. Tiglao stressed that US officers would only be consultants, and wouldn't be allowed to give direct orders to Philippine troops.
Whether the Americans will stick to this agreement remains to be seen, but clearly the Philippines has registered the impatience of the US government to see the Burnhams be released as soon as possible.
Critics of the US military involvement in the Philippines will undoubtedly complain about the increase in American troops in Mindanao, pointing to the fact that US military involvement in Vietnam started similarly in the 1960s with advisors and soon escalated into full combat participation.
I don't think the same thing will happen here. The US military has learned from its Vietnam experience and does not want to become bogged down again in a guerrilla warfare situation if possible.
But I do think that short-term US military involvement in local conflicts worldwide (including Basilan) is going to be with us for the foreseeable future, especially when the lives of US citizens are on the line.
