JIM PAREDES, former member of the famous APO Hiking Society singing trio in the ‘70s, could have made a graceful exit from the local entertainment industry with dignity had he preferred to.
Unlike the other two, Boboy Garovillo and Danny Javier who are now enjoying their private life after retirement, Jim opted to elevate his life to political controversy.
He became a self-proclaimed mouthpiece of former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III by choice. Of course, there was no formal written contract between him and PNoy as far as I know. He just appeared like a wild mushroom from nowhere. And he became more visible upon the assumption to office of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Initially, it was her female counterparts Cynthia Patag and Agot Isidro who took the cudgels for the former president, praising him to high heavens as the best president this country ever had. Both had the temerity to describe the ex-president in superlatives as the most in everything and anything; incomparable to no one, from being honest to being credible.
This notorious duo made me think that perhaps when God showered intelligence to mankind, both were sleeping in the abyss of Mt. Pinatubo or the Bermuda Triangle.
Cynthia and Agot have something in common that makes them both fanatical believers of the Aquino cult. Besides being unwanted in the local movie industry due to their declining age and deterioration of inherent talent, they need to survive “to keep up with the Joneses.”
If the past administration could spend billions to impeach a good and noble man from the Supreme Court, why not a small bag of silver coins for Cynthia and Agot who have already lost their luster?
I used to admire the two ladies for their genuine talents in singing and acting. In fairness, both are real troupers in the true sense of the word. They command respect from their audiences. But not when they get into politics. Politics and show business may have something in similar but they are still distinctively different from each other.
Politicians join politics with the intention to serve their constituents; celebrities are in showbiz mainly to entertain people in the world of make-believe.
When celebrities make “sawsaw” (indulge) and pretend they have the expertise in the realm of politics, it’s catastrophic.
Jim Paredes’ sex video scandal is a classic example of how politics can turn dirty. Prior to this scandal, he venomously attacked President Rodrigo Duterte, calling him a mad killer and a maniacal dirty old man.
All these years Jim Paredes preserved a celebrity image of someone immaculately clean and respectable, of a musician with compositions that are patriotic and reflective of our culture. I must confess I adore this guy’s music. If idolatry is a sin, then without remorse I plead guilty.
In all honesty I am not in a position to condemn him for the sex video scandal. I, too, am a sinner.
There’s already too much hatred and condemnation on Jim Paredes. All the law of karma already suffices. (nr4237085@gmail.com/PN)
