Eight days away from the launching of his farewell global concert, Michael Jackson died from a suspected drug overdose that the LA county coroner has ruled as a homicide. Controversial in life, even his death remains shrouded in mystery. This Is It, a documentary on the rehearsals for his final concert, leaves a definitive imprint. The King of Pop is the greatest musical artist of this century.
He is the singer who made his craft a total audio-visual experience. He pioneered in making the musical video the ultimate medium for propagating universal messages on the core beliefs and values that give meaning to life: love, peace, environmental conservation, and sustainability.
This Is It was MJ’s last and greatest performance. To understand what this truly means we need to use the term "performance level." "Performance level" is the term used by directors when they tell singers and actors to give it their best and their all during a rehearsal. Every great athlete and artist knows exactly what this means. It means envisioning in one’s mind the actual conditions on play date or game time -- and delivering a performance that will not just elicit applause but give the performer himself a peak experience.
MJ was the epitome of professionalism. He was a no-nonsense performer. He was focused and composed. He was serene and centered. There were no tantrums or disruptive antics. His appearance at every rehearsal was a much-awaited moment for the stage crew and his fellow performers (dancers and singers). They deferred to him and he respected them.
But, of course, the documentary was edited for public viewing. There may have been off-camera episodes where his behavior and decorum may have been less than ideal. But it is difficult to imagine that this would have been totally opposite to what was preserved for public viewing.
What is remarkable about This Is It is that it provides us with an image of an artist with a consummate passion for excellence. In one scene, he requested that the audio volume be toned down a bit. "I cannot hear well in my inner ear," he told the director. In another, he said that the music must be played in such a way that it will "simmer."
Here was an artist who brooked no compromise with quality. Here was a performer who was also a leader who inspired his fellow performers to scale new heights of excellence. In life and in death, MJ continues to be a thriller. This Is It was his statement about himself; it was also his credo for the planet. Unless we truly care for our environment, we’re hurtling onto a path of self-destruction.
Self-destruction is what some critics have begun to say about Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero’s announcement last week that he had resigned from the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).
A few days after the unexpected "bombshell," he won the support of the militant sector when he declared his opposition to the "contractualization" of labor. This is a position that is not likely to endear him to the business sector, one of the key groups whose support is crucial to any bandwagon effect, momentum, or propulsion that he wants to create for his presidential aspirations.
According to the World Bank-IFC, one of the biggest disincentives to investment in the Philippines is "inflexible labor laws." We have lost our competitiveness to the emergent economies of the ASEAN Ten (example: Vietnam) because of our minimum wage legislation. A draft bill is now being considered in the House that imposes a 20% limit on the percentage of the total workforce of a firm that may be considered contractual.
This proposed law works at cross-purposes with the government’s policy to establish the Philippines as a hub for business process outsourcing (BPO). It also threatens the semiconductor industry that is one of the leading dollar earners for the economy. Other key industries where there is a significant amount of contractual employment are ship crewing and agribusiness. In embracing the crusade against contractualization, Senator Escudero betrays a failure to grasp basic economic reality.
While portraying himself as an advocate of change, he seems to be oblivious of the important changes that have taken place in a globalized economy. If he had taken the time to talk to his erstwhile patron Eduardo Cojuangco, Jr., he would have learned that long before the latter assumed control of San Miguel Corporation, SMC had adopted the contractualization mode of employment. It spun off and contractualized the distribution of beer to local distributors, as well as bottle-cleaning and other manual tasks to outsourced contractors.
If he wants to be gain credibility as a national leader, Senator Escudero needs to reexamine his position on contractualization and other fundamental political and economic issues. Like MJ, he needs to prepare assiduously and be pay attention to the key aspects of what will enable him to perform well on the national political stage. MJ knew he had to be more than a good singer. Chiz Escudero must realize he needs to be more than just a smooth talker.
