No matter how succesful he gets, Black Eyed Peas' Apl never forgets his roots in a Filipino barrio, and his all-Tagalog hip-hop hit proves it

(http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/08/08/DDGRAE3PBJ1.DTL)

In the most offbeat selection in "Monkey Business," Apl.de.ap of Black Eyed Peas raps on a song called "Bebot" about the joys of eating with one's fingers, drinking with friends and a popular Filipino delicacy called balut.

You have to be a particular kind of Peas fan to completely get it: "Bebot" is in Tagalog.

Born and raised in the Philippines, Apl said he was encouraged to write the song after the incredible success Black Eyed Peas has enjoyed since their breakthrough album, "Elephunk."

"Since we've made it in the business now, I'm able to go back home," he said in a phone interview.

"I'm getting more practice in my Tagalog and Kapampangan," he added, referring to another Philippine language from his native province of Pampanga. "That inspired me to write more in Tagalog."

It is not the first time that Black Eyed Peas, who will perform this weekend with the Dave Matthews band at SBC Park, has experimented with Tagalog. "The Apl Song" in "Elephunk" featured a Tagalog chorus from a Filipino folk band.

But in "Monkey Business," Apl included not just a chorus but an entire song in his native tongue.

That underscores his attitude toward his ethnic identity. It's not just another footnote or curious factoid in Apl's career -- he embraces it, flaunts it and would willingly get onstage to sing loudly -- as he does in Bebot -- "Filipino! Filipino! Filipino!"

"I'm proud of who I am, where I came from, what I was born into, and I would represent that till I die," he said. "As much as I could put in this music business, I want to involve who I am and my culture."

As an immigrant who hasn't completely lost his Filipino accent, he said he never got seriously bogged down by the FOB -- "fresh off the boat" or "fresh off the Boeing" -- label.

"I know a lot of Filipinos are concerned of (being called) FOB," he said. "I see that as FOBulous, because you have a different sense in you. Being from the Philippines, you have a different way of looking at life."

For that attitude and his music, Apl has become a legend in the Filipino American community and in the Philippines, where he grew up in a poor, working class family in Sapang Bato, a small barrio in Pampanga, north of Manila.

It was a tough life, but one that he celebrates in "The Apl Song."

"Listen closely yo, I got a story to tell

A version of my ghetto where life felt for real

Some would call it hell but to me it was heaven ...

We makin' it happen, from nothin' to somethin'

That's how we be survivin' back in my homeland ..."

The song includes a Tagalog chorus from "Balita" ("News") by a well-known Filipino folk group called Asin (Salt) who, Apl said, was his favorite group in the Philippines.

Pendong Aban, one of Asin's members, said the group felt honored by Apl's acknowledgement of Asin's influence on his music. "We seldom hear how our songs impact our li'teners' lives," he said in an e-mail.

Apl has even helped Asin cross the Philippines' stiff class hierarchy. Aban said the group had been popular among the poor and working class segments of Philippine society. But "The Apl Song" helped expose the group to a new generation of young listeners, including those from rich families who embraced American hip-hop culture.

"Balita" is a political song that talked about the repression and violence many Filipinos endured during the regime of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. The lyrics speak of a "land stained with blood" where "hearts are crying out."

Apl adapted the song to talk about his personal odyssey.

"Now that I'm able to incorporate all types of music into hip-hop, I had the idea that that would be a dope idea because it explains where I came from, " he said. "It's like I brought with me the 'news' on what happened to my own life."

Apl's biological father was a U.S. serviceman who left him and his mother, Christina Pineda, before he was born. Apl, a.k.a. Allan Pineda, grew up with four brothers and two sisters supported by his mother.

Growing up in a former U.S. colony, he was exposed early to American pop music. He said his mother liked listening to Stevie Wonder, the Beatles and Eagles, as well as to Asin.

"I would take the jeepney all the way to Angeles City, and that's how I got introduced to break dancing," he said. "I would see kids at the corner break-dancing and I'm like, 'I wanna do that.' "

At 14, he was adopted by a Southern California attorney. Apl still has vivid memories of his departure.

"I left in the afternoon, and it was the saddest sunset ever. I didn't know where I was going. I was 14, and I'm getting on this plane by myself, and I could see the sun set."

Growing up in the Los Angeles area, he struggled with life as a teenage immigrant.

"I would get chased from junior high school to my house every day," he recalled. "All these kids are like, 'Where you from?' And I was like, 'From Philippines.' "

He burst out laughing, then added: "After that, I was like, 'OK, that's not for me.' "

"You know, I could have easily joined the gangs that were surrounding me, " he said. "I was exposed to that. But I chose dancing instead. That led me in a good direction."

A friendship with William Adams, a.k.a. will.i.am, evolved into a showbiz partnership as the duo, who took on the name Atban Klann, hit L.A.'s hip- hop/break-dance circuit.

Taboo, a.k.a. Jaime Gomez, later joined the team which then took on the name Black Eyed Peas. After two albums, the group brought in R&B singer Fergie, a.k.a. Stacy Ferguson, for "Elephunk."

The album became a hit, and a selection, "Let's Get It Started," won the group their first Grammy.

For Apl, success has given him more time to reflect on his roots and focus on the family he left behind.

"Coming from the Philippines my whole goal was to support my family and have a better living situation," he said. "Trying to pursue my dream took up a lot of my time, and I got separated from my family a little bit ... I was separated from my brothers and sisters. Some good things happened to them and some bad things happened to some of them."

The most stunning blow from the separation was his younger brother's suicide. "The Apl Song" is also a tribute to Arnel Pineda. A line in the tune goes:

"Sometimes life's stresses get you down on your knees,

"Oh brother how I wish I could have helped you out...

"That's what made me write that song," Apl said of his loss. "He was growing up and I was growing up, and I had to do what I had to do to make it in this world. I just wish he could have waited a little longer."

Whenever he goes back home, the first thing he does upon reaching Barrio Sapang Bato is to visit the local cemetery to light candles and bring flowers for his brother and his late grandparents.

Then, he said, he asks his mom to cook shrimp stew and chicken adobo.

"I just go off on the food," he said. "She likes doing it. She wakes me up at 5 in the morning. It's like, 'Come on, we need to go to the palengke (market) and pick some stuff.' And I'm like, '5 in the morning?' But I guess that's when you get the fresh stuff."

He hopes to bring his mom and other family members to the United States. He has no plans yet for starting his own family, he said.

"Gotta save first," he said. "I still gotta bring my whole family here. That's my goal right now."

He doesn't rule out the possibility of returning to his homeland to live.

"I want to build resorts over there," he said, mentioning Boracay Island in central Philippines that reputedly has among the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Apl is also working on a solo collection of Tagalog rap geared to what has quickly turned into a solid fan base in his homeland.

"The reception is unbelievable," he said of how Filipinos have reacted to him and his music.

Eric Caruncho, a music critic based in Manila, said "The Apl Song" was a big hit in the Philippines and gave young Filipinos "someone to root for." Writer Jim Ayson said having a song with Tagalog lyrics in one of the biggest selling albums of the year was "mind boggling."

"It's good he never forgot his roots," he said.

In "Bebot" -- Filipino slang for "chick" -- Apl is clearly having more fun in looking back at his Filipino roots.

Hey friends, listen to me,

Here's a true Filipino

From Barrio Sapang Bato,

Moved to L.A.

To help out my mom,

For it was a hard life we led

But I'm proud of my color

To eat, I use my fingers

Rice and chicken adobo

Balut sold on the street corner

Pass the glass, buddy

Let's have a drink!

"I experienced that type of lifestyle, and when I go back home, that's how it is still," he said. "I like buying balut from the vendor at the corner of the street."

That's perhaps the clearest proof of Apl's connection to his homeland.

Balut is boiled duck egg with a semi-developed embryo. Although it is a popular Philippine delicacy, it is unappetizing to many, particularly non- Filipinos. Apl spoke proudly of his "expertise" on how to eat it.

"You shake it up then you suck the juice first," he said. "Then you break down the egg and then you eat the soft part and then there's the hard part at the end and you've got to dip that with some salt. ... I could do that with my eyes closed in the dark ... But you gotta have a beer with that."

12 Story Rizal Shrine Jordanian's Gift to Filipinos

Story at Philippine Daily Inquirer--December 29, 2005

Amazing can you just see that!






There are two thigns that can make we can get from this

(1) There are Foreign immigrants (I know others aside from this guy) who find the happiness and contentment in the Philippines. They have acknowledged its beauty. And as we think of it, why can’t we? We have a Korean friend who loathes going back to his country because he loves ours 50 times better. We know of a German who gave up his millions in his place only to settle here and help build Filipino lives. I met an Italian who would highly prefer our native Sinigang rather than her country’s scrumptious pasta. So when we Filipinos are moving out, these guys want to move in.

(2) We finally have a new landmark that will attract tourists and locals like. It will serve as that pride-maker in the hearts of every Filipino. It is a testament to the great bravery our forefathers had displayed especially our national hero whose death anniversary we commemorate today.



Mr. Asfour, you have indeed done an honorable and glorious thing. We the Filipinos should be thanking you infinitely!

God, if this structure is done, I would like to be a proud Filipino and gaze upon it with my own two eyes sometime sooner!

This is our shrine, my fellow Filipinos. This is the symbol of the greatness of our race!

Patricia Evangelista's Award-Winning Speech

Pinay wins it big in London
By Alfred Yuson
The Philippine Star 05/16/2004

Patricia Evangelista, a 19-year-old, Mass Communications sophomore of University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman, did the country proud Friday night by besting 59 other student contestants from 37 countries in the 2004 International Public Speaking competition conducted by the English Speaking Union (ESU) in London.

She triumphed over a field of exactly 60 speakers from all over the English-speaking world, including the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, reported Maranan.

The board of judges' decision was unanimous, according to contest chairman Brian Hanharan of the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC).

PATRICIA'S SHORT SPEECH WORTH READING....
------------------------------------------------------------------
BORDERLESS WORLD

When I was little, I wanted what many Filipino children all over the country wanted. I wanted to be blond, blue-eyed, and white. I thought -- if I just wished hard enough and was good enough, I'd wake upon Christmas morning with snow outside my window and freckles across my nose!

More than four centuries under western domination does that to you. I have sixteen cousins. In a couple of years, there will just be five of us left in the Philippines, the rest will have gone abroad in search of "greener pastures." It's not just an anomaly; it's a trend; the Filipino diaspora.

Today, about eight million Filipinos are scattered around the world. There are those who disapprove of Filipinos who choose to leave. I used to. Maybe this is a natural reaction of someone who was left behind, smiling for family pictures that get emptier with each succeeding year. Desertion, I called it. My country is a land that has perpetually fought for the freedom to be itself. Our heroes offered their lives in the struggle against the Spanish, the Japanese, the Americans. To pack up and deny that identity is tantamount to spitting on that sacrifice.

Or is it? I don't think so, not anymore. True, there is no denying this phenomenon, aided by the fact that what was once the other side of the world is now a twelve-hour plane ride away. But this is a borderless world, where no individual can claim to be purely from where he is now. My mother is of Chinese descent, my father is a quarter Spanish, and I call myself a pure Filipino-a hybrid of sorts resulting from a combination of cultures.

Each square mile anywhere in the world is made up of people of different ethnicities, with national identities and individual personalities. because of this, each square mile is already a microcosm of the world. In as much as this blessed spot that is England is the world, so is my neighborhood back home.

Seen this way, the Filipino Diaspora, or any sort of dispersal of populations, is not as ominous as so many claim. It must be understood. I come from a Third World country, one that is still trying mightily to get back on its feet after many years of dictatorship. But we shall make it, given more time. Especially now, when we have thousands of eager young minds who graduate from college every year. They have skills. They need jobs. We cannot absorb them all.

A borderless world presents a bigger opportunity, yet one that is not so much abandonment but an extension of identity. Even as we take, we give back. We are the 40,000 skilled nurses who support the UK's National Health Service. We are the quarter-of-a-million seafarers manning most of the world's commercial ships. We are your software engineers in Ireland, your construction workers in the Middle East, your doctors and caregivers in North America, and, your musical artists in London's West End.

Nationalism isn't bound by time or place. People from other nations migrate to create new nations, yet still remain essentially who they are. British society is itself an example of a multi-cultural nation, a melting pot of races, religions, arts and cultures. We are, indeed, in a borderless world! Leaving sometimes isn't a matter of choice. It's coming back that is. The Hobbits of the shire traveled all over Middle-Earth, but they chose to come home, richer in every sense of the word. We call people like these balikbayans or the 'returnees' -- those who followed their dream, yet choose to return and share their mature talents and good fortune.

In a few years, I may take advantage of whatever opportunities come my way. But I will come home. A borderless world doesn't preclude the idea of a home. I'm a Filipino, and I'll always be one. It isn't about just geography; it isn't about boundaries. It's about giving back to the country that shaped me.

And that's going to be more important to me than seeing snow outside my windows on a bright Christmas morning.

Mabuhay and Thank you.
______________________________
So, be proud, you are a Fil

Hate Letter to Filipinos and a Reaction

Hate Letter Against Filipinos

This is a hate letter coming from a radio talk show host Mr. Art Bell from Nevada. I don't consider myself as patriotic but please read my reply below in BOLD LETTERS and send this to as many of your friends as possible until it reaches him.

Subject: HATE LETTER

This is a very disturbing open E-mail letter to all Filipinos around the world; specially here in North America!, from a man who has the power to reach million of people. (he's a radio talk host).

Please read on..............

This is an open letter email by Art Bell, a radio talk show host in Nevada(more info in the email itself). Here is yet another person who has taken advantage of his power and privilege to use hateful words and racial stereotypes that breed further ignorance and intolerance in our society.

Art Bell is a talk radio host who has two shows that he broadcasts from his home in Nevada, that is rebroadcast by 400 stations across the country.

He's written 2 books. He lived in Okinawa, Japan for some years and had a radio program on the English station here. And, though it's hard to believe after reading the following letter from him, he actually has been to the Philippines (he's traveled fairly extensively around the world).

Letter is so degrading, I think it's really important that everybody read this and not attack him, but respond to him in a civilized manner because otherwise his thoughts will be reaffirmed. Understand that not everyone has a viewpoint like we do, and that this is an opinion of someone who hopefully can be changed only by civil actions. - May Munoz

...............................................
Filipinos.....*make me puke* (Art Bell)

As we've all come to notice, in the past few decades, Filipinos have begun to infest the United States like some sort of disease. Their extensive involvement in the U.S. Armed Forces is proof of the trashy kind of qualities all Filipinos tend to exhibit on a regular basis. You can see this clearly by studying the attitudes and cultural Icons of most Filipino Americans.

Origins of Pinoys/Pinays:

Are they really Asian? Well we've come to accept the fact the Filipinos come from a part of the world known as South East Asia. But the term "Asia" is used in the wrong way. You may notice that contemporary Filipino Americans try very hard to associate themselves with groups that we know as Asian. I cannot count the number of times I have seen a 'Third World' Filipino try to connect themselves to the Chinese or Japanese people. There is no connection and here's why. The Philippines is a Third World country. Nothing respectable has EVER been created by Filipino people during our entire human history. Young Filipino men in America have become obsessed with "import racing". They have an enormously perverted affection for Japanese cars. It's a common phenomenon. In their minds, these Filipinos somehow believe that they are Asian and that it somehow connects them to Japanese people and Japanese cars. They often take credit for the ingenuity of Japanese people and say how it's an "Asian thing". This term..."Asian thing" derived directly from African American slang "blackthang". "It's a black thang." "It's an asian thang." You can see the connection. It's even funnier that, in Japan, Filipinos are heavily discriminated against. The only filipinos that can live successfully in Japan are the filipino prostitutes. But that's the case for most Filipino people no matter where they live in the world. Now we've come down to this fact...and it is a fact.

Nothing in Filipino Culture can be seen as Asian. They have no architectural, artistic, or cultural influence which is in ANY way, Asian. Thinking of the great countries in Asia such as Japan, Korea, and China there is no way you can possibly connect the Philippine Islands. This assault by Filipino Americans to connect themselves with the great peoples of North East Asia is foul and disgusting. Try visiting a young Filipino's web site too. You'll see something called the "Asian IRC Ring". It has to do with the chatrooms. The most horrible thing about this is that these TRASHY people are trying to associate themselves with Asia again!! People in Asia don't act like, this at all. What we are seeing here is the natural Filipino in it's element with full access to technology and this is how they act! You will consistently see this behavior over and over again.

Another interesting thing is that these "thirdworld" people also frequent RC chatrooms such as #Chinese #Japan and #Asian. They must believe that they are some how related racially or culturally to North Asians. But it's completely WRONG! There might have been some distant contact With China and even less with Japan during World War II, but these people are actually more closely related to African Americans and Mexican Americans.

Do the parents of these young Filipinos know what's going on? Would they accept this? I believe that they would and do. This is the natural "Trash" element in Filipinos manifesting itself. Nothing good has ever come from Philippines and I don't believe anything good ever will.

Recognizing your Roots (A Message to Filipinos)

To all Filipino people:
Please recognize your ROOTS! You come from the Third World! You country is a disgusting and filthy place. Most people there live in poverty! Your culture has MUCH MORE SPANISH influence than Chinese, and absolutely no JAPANESE influence whatsoever. People in Japan and China, do not act like you. They do not constantly talk about sex and they have a MUCH HIGHER level of RESPECT for each other. There is NO WAY that you can connect yourself to Asia other than location. Your culture and technological advancement does not even come CLOSE to What Chinese, people have done in the past and what Japanese and Korean people are doing now! Everything you do is distinctly Filipino. You cannot take credit for Japanese cars, video games, or Hentai! It's not an "Asian thing" it's, an "American thing". You have no concept of culture...no concept of Asian ideas or Asian philosophy! Can you demonstrate how you use Confucianism or Taoism in you everyday life?? You can't. And you will NEVER be able to. I understand that you are trying to create an identity for yourselves as young people... but it is NOT related to Asia.

Your Identity is Filipino. That's all you are. Just Filipino. Think about what that means....

Sincerely,
Art
-------------------------------

I find this funny, he is right in some ways where we, as Filipinos don't actually have an "Identity". I think this is due to the confusion of our mixed races from Hispanic, Chinese, American and Malay origins. I see it in malls, imagine young generations wearing ski caps and ski goggles in a tropical country, baggy low rise pants like that of African Americans living in the Bronx of New York, not to mention endless whitening products being sold at department stores and drug stores. But his ignorance also blinds him from the other truth. That while we may glorify Anime shows and Japanese Internet gaming, he is not aware that a nameless Filipino may be responsible for some technical aspects of some Japanese software. He is not aware of our contribution to the the society in general .Technological advancements that may have aided post war navigations and landing on the moon. That the antibiotic Erythromycin was discovered by Dr. Abelardo Aguilar from Iloilo creating the brand "Ilosone". Thomas Edison may have discovered the electric light bulb and the fluorescent lighting was thought up by Nikola Tesla. But the fluorescent lamp we use today was invented by Agapito Flores (a Cebuano named Benigno Flores of Bantayan Island, according to the Philippine Daily inquirer), a Filipino scientist. Americans helped then-Philippine leader Ramon Magsaysay to develop it for worldwide commerce. That the personal physician of former U.S. Pres. Bill Clinton is Eleanor "Connie" Concepcion Mariano, a Filipina doctor who was the youngest captain in the US Navy. A Filipino writer Jose Rizal could read and write at age 2, and grew up to speak more than 20 languages, including Latin, Greek, German, French and Chinese. Or that a Filipino genius was responsible for the near hiatus in the PENTAGON and White House nearly infiltrating their closely guarded secrets with the "ILOVEYOU" bug.

Nuisance maybe, but still one heck of a 'beautiful mind'...not to be underestimated.The list goes on and on, but who cares right? Certainly not Mr. Art Bell...Boy, I'm not surprised. Perhaps Art Bell does not know that although we consider ourselves ASIAN because we are strategically located in the Southeast Asian region of which our nearest neighbors are Malays, ASIA does not mean only Chinese and Japanese race of people. Then maybe it is his connotation that "Asia" meant only our economically successful, paler brothers and he considers Malays such as Thais, Malaysians, Indonesians, and ourselves as a "Third World" race. Then it is "his" ignonimity that would make a civilized person of whatever race puke. Imagine literally connecting Chinese, Koreans and Japanese to the Philippine Islands which is archipelagos away from the countries he has mentioned. I also wonder where he got the impression that we aspire to be Japanese(???) Hispanics maybe but not the Japanese. But even Hispanics today do not mind sharing their "surnames" to their Asian brothers who they have colonized for 3 centuries.

Another sad reality that although most Filipinos working overseas are domestic helpers and prostitutes, who does he think educates the toddlers of Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Tokyo? Parents of these countries rarely have time spent with their children, leaving them to their Filipino nannies. And with regards to prostitution. Filipinos are not the only ones working as one. I HARDLY SEE FILIPINOS STARRING IN PORN MOVIES. THERE MIGHT BE A FEW FILIPINOS WE HAVEN'T SEEN , BUT MOST ARE FROM MR. ART BELL'S RACE.

He also mentioned that we have no concept of culture...no concept of Asian ideas or Asian philosophy. How can we demonstrate Confucianism or Taoism in a Christian nation? IS HE INFORMED THAT THE PHILIPPINES IS THE ONLY PREDOMINANTLY CHRISTIAN/CATHOLIC NATION IN ASIA?! YOU HAVE TO USE COMMON SENSE IN A LOT OF THINGS SOMETIMES...

We do not need to create an identity for ourselves. We are who we are. Our identity stems from the anonymity we live in this world. How we contribute silently towards the progress of the world and not just one country. Although the Filipino blood may be tainted with malice, corruption, poverty and prostitution, it is not a perfect race... But so are the others. Maybe Mr. Art Bell needs to think about this. WE MAY NOT BE PERFECT MR. BELL BUT AT LEAST WE STILL HAVE VALUES. FOR ONE THING WE DON'T PUT OUR AGING PARENTS IN NURSING HOMES BECAUSE "THEY'RE SIMPLY OLD AND WORTHLESS". WE DON'T HAVE AS MUCH NUMBERS OF SINGLE MOTHERS WHO GET PREGNANT IN THEIR VERY EARLY TEENS AND EVENTUALLY BECOME PARASITES OF THE GOVERNMENT FOR YEARS AND YEARS. YES...WE CAME TO YOUR COUNTRY TO WORK, TO EARN DECENT MONEY (HALF OF WHICH BY THE WAY GOES TO TAXES BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY SOCIAL PARASITES FROM YOUR RACE). AND BY THE WAY, MOST EDUCATED PEOPLE THAT I WORK WITH DON'T COME FROM YOUR RACE... THEY'RE ACTUALLY IMMIGRANTS TOO. AND THOSE EDUCATED ONES DO NOT ACT LIKE YOU DO, PERHAPS BECAUSE THEY'VE REALLY BEEN WELL EDUCATED...AFTER ALL THAT'S SAID... WHO IS THE IGNORANT ONCE AGAIN?! -

May Munoz
http://www.radiopinoyusa.com/matanglawin/ml-03-23b-2005.html

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NOTE: THE MESSAGE WAS A FORGERY AND IT IS NOT TRUE
THAT ART BELL WROTE THIS. PROOF IS SAID ON THIS SITE:
http://www.watchingyou.com/pahrump.html
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