Volume 5, Issue No. 16
OPINION/COMMENTARY
/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /
Our latest as of Tuesday, November 7, 2023
~ Interest in Philippine music and non-Filipino compositions has heightened these past weeks, much of it ignited by a musically-inclined accountant whose spontaneity resonated with friends who joined her in what might as well be a public performance. Captured on film, the spur-of-the-moment feat drove the number of views at Filipino Web Entertainment Channel to hitherto surprising millions.
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FILIPINO WEB ENTERTAINMENT CHANNEL
Pianist Rekindles Love for Music
The Piano-Playing Sets Off Upsurge of Views
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
“Music is powerful. As people listen to it, they can be affected. They respond.” - Ray Charles
TORONTO - My first-ever foray into the entertainment world got a major boost this past weekend.
I don't mean that as a celebrity whose lustre shines on everyone, nor as a rival to the eloquent chronicler of the stars, the incomparable writer Baby K. Jimenez, my human window to Philippine filmdom.
Without formal affiliation with legacy broadcast, print and online media, I turn to writing investigative pieces, news analysis, and feature articles for my Filipino Web Magazine blog.
As a journalist trying to keep up with advances in social media technology, I created several online platforms under Romar Media Canada, the umbrella news outfit that carries my name. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42YXRLqaQYA).
One of these is Filipino Web Entertainment Channel, the YouTube-based outlet that I launched on September 6, 2011 soon after I noticed an absence of a site devoted mainly to local talents.
Twelve years and two months later, FilWebEntertainment notched quite a record: generating more than two million views, to be exact - 2,000,337 - as of this writing. It's an incredibly endearing development considering that it's a local community endeavour.
The huge number came from watching 567 videos I created from my own coverage of events spanning over a decade of sacrifice, personally and financially; and of reaching out, having a lot of patience and maintaining a high level of tolerance.
My subscribers here totaling 3,042, and perhaps their families and friends too, are to be commended for their commitment, not so much to the brand but for what it espouses, which is the uplift of our community of artists and talents needing public exposure.
That has always been the goal of Romar Media Canada and its online platforms, namely, The Filipino Web Channel, Currents & Breaking News Channel (538 videos; 1,761,419 views; 2.13K subscribers), Eats & Restos Channel (88 videos; 369,821 views; 775 subscribers), and Filipino Web Entertainment Channel, among others.
For me it's a milestone worth a celebratory article such as this one. With 2,000,337 views up its sleeve, FilWebEntertainment comes close to my flagship The Filipino Web Channel which has currently 3,079,311 views (from 1,400 videos) since its founding on November 15, 2010.
Garnering that number is a watershed moment for my entertainment channel. The years of non-stop coverage have proved fruitful in so many ways, but most importantly, in training the spotlight on talents yet to bloom.
I have absolutely no doubt that public interest has been rekindled by the musically-inclined accountant Cielo Ramos who is as much of an artist as her daughter Michelle Chermaine. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8FT2kEZfls).
During the height of the pandemic a wide gap existed between in-person performances and virtual presentations, but Mrs. Ramos innocently broke that interlude by spontaneously playing the piano at the annual exhibition of the Philippine Artists Group on June 24. (Full story at: https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/06/pags-art-exhibit-celebration-of.html).
Videos of Cielo Ramos at:
Her spur-of-the-moment move has attracted new viewers and revitalized the channel which made possible the climb to the two-million mark of the number of views. For that, I'm sincerely grateful.
Of particular significance to me is the sudden upsurge in views of marquee artists featured in the channel such as Rico J. Puno, Pilita Corrales, Rey Valera, Imelda Papin, Mon Torralba, Joey Albert, Florante, Angeline Quinto, David Pomeranz, Martin Nievera, to name a few.
I also notice a rise in views of our Toronto-based artists who performed in community events, notably, Eleanor Calbes, Ma-anne Dionisio, Josie de Leon, Jennifer Uy, Chyrell Samson, Chiqui Pineda, Rodney Ronquillo, Emilio Zarris, Arlene Paculan, among others.
Then there's the inimitable Fiesta Filipina Dance Troupe, a big star on its own, amassing tens of thousands of views.
These artists enjoy tremendous public patronage. But the hunger for talents who live, work, and perform in Toronto is very much evident. Just take a look at what Cielo Ramos did a few months ago.
Unconsciously, she re-ignited a residual flame among us that refreshes our love for music. The proof is there in FilWebEntertainment - 2,000,337 views and counting! (Copyright 2023. All Rights Reserved).
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