LADY GAGA CONCERT IS ON DESPITE
PROTEST / LADY GAGA ROCKS RP; DEFIES CRITICS
[PHOTO FROM CNN- Members of Biblemode Youth Philippines
protest in Manila Saturday in front of a banner showing Lady
Gaga.]
MANILA, MAY 22, 2012 (BULLETIN) By GENALYN D. KABILING -
Malacañang said it has no plans to block the controversial concert of Lady Gaga
in the country despite protests by some groups for her alleged anti-Christian
music.
Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda assured yesterday that police
authorities are ready to ensure peace and order when the pop superstar holds her
concert on May 21 and 22, in Pasay City.
Lady Gaga has arrived in Manila for a two-day concert at the SM Mall of Asia
in line with her "Born This Way" Asian tour. But she has been met by angry
protests over her supposed blasphemous songs.
"We are not in a position (to block the concert)," Lacierda said over
state-run Radyo ng Bayan.
"Our Pasay police is ready to maintain peace and order during the concert. We
are used to having many foreign artists holding concerts in the country. The
organizers have also security," he added.
He said traffic enforcers are also prepared to ensure the smooth flow of
traffic towards the concert venue.
"We are used to handling the traffic, and peace and order there," he added.
Lacierda, however, is not a fan of Lady Gaga, saying he has no time to watch
the concert of the pop superstar.
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) yesterday
reminded motorists and the public to keep away from the roads near the SM Mall
of Asia (MOA) area where controversial singer Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta
or Lady Gaga would hold a concert.
MMDA Traffic Engineering Center Director Noemi Recio said the agency is
anticipating today and on Tuesday the long queue of motorists in the area
because of the event, and the presence of religious groups and allied
organizations rallying against the musical icon.
"If you do not have important business in the area, it's better to keep away
to prevent traffic build-up," said Recio during the agency's weekly radio
program yesterday.
Recio said they are in close coordination with the city government of Pasay
as well as the management of the Mall of Asia on the traffic management plan
during the two-day concert.
"We have prepared a traffic scheme in case of worst case scenarios," said
Recio.
At the same time, Recio said they are also preparing for the possible protest
actions by various groups who earlier denounced Lady Gaga's concert as
"anti-Christian" and "anti-Jesus Christ."
Recio said they would deploy enough traffic enforcers to man the traffic
together with their counterparts from the local traffic bureau, and the security
officers of MOA to prevent a traffic gridlock.
Among the groups that have been holding protest actions since last week
include the BibleMode International, founded by former Congressman Benny Abante,
and BibleMode Youth Philippines.
On the other hand, Controversy is nothing new to Lady Gaga.
Since hitting it big worldwide in 2008 via back-to-back chart-toppers "Just
Dance" and "Poker Face," the American singer-songwriter has been talked about
not only for reviving interest in dance music but for her outrageous fashion
sense and provocative live performances and music videos.
At the MTV Video Music Awards in 2009, Lady Gaga performed her hit single,
"Paparazzi," by having herself hoisted into the air in the final seconds of the
song, while blood poured down her supposed "lifeless" body.
The gory performance was slammed by several groups, accusing the artist of
"romanticizing suicide."
The following year, Lady Gaga showed up at the award ceremony wearing a dress
made of raw beef that got the goat of some animal rights group.
While in the video "Judas," Lady Gaga portrayed herself as Mary Magdalene who
went on a mission to Jerusalem with Judas Iscariot.
Co-directed by Lady Gaga herself, the story ended with Magdalene getting
stoned to death.
Even before its release, several Catholic groups were up in arms, alleging
that it was a mockery of Christianity.
A self-proclaimed champion of gays, the title track from her third studio
album, "Born This Way," opens with the line "It doesn't matter if you love him
or H-I-M," adding that "God makes no mistake."
Other lines in the song that make clear about Lady Gaga's stand go, "Don't be
a drag, just be a queen," and "No matter gay, straight or bi/ lesbian,
transgendered life/I'm on the right track, baby/ I was born to survive."
Incidentally, Lady Gaga made a star out of half-Filipino Maria Aragon who
rendered and taped a piano-decked version of "Born This Way," and uploaded it on
YouTube.
Upon getting wind of Aragon's video, Lady Gaga tweeted "Can't stop crying
watching this…this is why I make music. She is the future."
Her current "Born This Way" tour, which kicked off in Asia several weeks ago,
has been in the news recently starting when a number of conservative South
Korean Christians held prayer vigils to protest holding the concert in their
country, alleging that the singer promotes homosexuality and pornography.
This resulted to the Korea Media Rating Board imposing a rule banning
concertgoers below 18 years old from attending the event held at the Jamsil
Olympic Stadium.
Lady Gaga's concert in Jakarta, Indonesia, was canceled following opposition
from the country's Islamist groups.
A Jakarta Globe article, citing the AFP, quoted Islamic Defenders Front (FPI)
Jakarta Chairman Salim Alatas to have said, "Her style is vulgar, her sexual and
indecent clothes will destroy our children's sense of morality. She's very
dangerous."
Just prior to her Manila concert, Pasay City Mayor Antonino Calixto reminded
the producer of Lady Gaga's concert to ensure that the show does "not exhibit
any nudity or lewd conduct that may be offensive to morals and good customs.
(With reports from Anna Liza T. Villas and Jojo P.
Panaligan)
FROM THE INQUIRER
Lady Gaga rocks Philippines, defies critics Agence
France-Presse May 21, 2012 | 11:52 pm
[PHOTO - American pop singer and songwriter Lady Gaga poses before the
media upon her arrival in a hotel Saturday in Manila's financial district of
Makati. Lady Gaga will hold two concerts on May 21 and 22 in the country as part
of her Asian tour. AP/PAT ROQUE]
MANILA, Philippines—Lady Gaga rocked the Philippines Monday, defying critics
and state censors as thousands of fans, many of them dressed as outrageously as
she was, roared their approval.
Despite the protests of conservative Christians and warnings by state
censors, Lady Gaga declared "I'm not a creature of your government, Manila".
She then belted out her controversial song "Judas", which her Filipino
critics have labelled as blasphemous.
The audience tweeted photos of the US pop phenomenon wearing a full-length
yellow dress inspired by Philippine national costume as she and a dance crew
gyrated for the song "Born This Way" — a gay anthem.
The city government had earlier warned that her second show on Tuesday night
could be banned if the censors among the audience monitored any hints of
blasphemy, devil worship, nudity or lewd conduct.
Up to 40,000 fans in the Catholic-majority nation paid as much as P15,840
($370) each to watch the US singer.
Her world tour, "The Born This Way Ball", has been dogged by controversy in
Asia, with an upcoming concert in Muslim-majority Indonesia cancelled on police
orders for fear of violence from religious hardliners.
In the Philippines, Catholic leader Archbishop Ramon Arguelles urged the
public to boycott her two concerts. "Her fans are in danger of falling into the
clutches of Satan," he told reporters.
Former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, one of those calling for a concert ban,
said he was opposed to the song "Judas".
"We respect freedom of expression in this country. We also appreciate art and
culture… but the laws should be respected," he told AFP.
But Pasay City officials allowed the show to go on Monday night at the Arena,
a new, oblong theater built by the country's richest man, Henry Sy of the SM
shopping mall chain.
About 100 "little monsters" — the name given to Lady Gaga's devoted followers
— had lined up hours before the show, sporting her signature outrageous
clothing, hairstyle and makeup.
A group of about 500 Christian activists tried to march on the Arena, singing
religious songs while carrying placards saying "Stop Lady Gaga, the mother
monster."
However riot police stopped them about one kilometer (half a mile) away.
Local authorities earlier said they had worked out a deal to permit the show
while addressing the clamor by Christian conservatives.
Censors were in the audience to monitor possible violations of a law against
"immoral doctrines, obscene publications and exhibitions and indecent shows",
said Glenn Agranzamendez, secretary to Pasay Mayor Tony Calixto.
Christian groups have vowed to send their own monitors and warned they could
sue Lady Gaga under a law that penalizes taking part or sponsoring "indecent
shows" with prison terms of up to six years.
Despite the protests, the demand for tickets has been so strong that the
Manila concert's organisers had to extend the event from the original one-night
show to two nights.
Similarly in Hong Kong, huge demand saw organizers extend Lady Gaga's
original one-night run to four concerts.
But question marks remain over whether she will be able to perform to 50,000
fans in Jakarta on June 3. Promoters are trying to save the show despite police
denying it a permit after Islamic hardliners threatened to unleash "chaos".
NEWS REPORT FROM CNN
Lady Gaga's Manila concerts face protests By
Elizabeth Yuan, CNN updated 7:09 AM EDT, Mon May 21, 2012
CNN) -- Christian groups in the Philippines planned to protest Lady
Gaga's performances there Monday and Tuesday, just after Muslim protests have
cast doubt whether she will be allowed to perform in Indonesia.
"This protest is not against Lady Gaga as a person but on her music and on
how she declares distorted views about the Lord Jesus Christ," said Reuben
Abante, bishop of Lighthouse Bible Baptist Church and secretary-general of
Biblemode Youth, which is leading the protests.
Reached by phone, Abante said he expected a couple thousand protesters
outside the Manila venue, Mall of Asia Arena, Monday night for a grand prayer
rally before the concert. "We are Christian Filipinos. She comes to our land.
For us, this is something that should not be shown to the youth we have."
His brother, the group's president, is former Congressman Benny Abante,
himself a pastor.
Of particular offense to the group is the pop star's song, "Judas," with
lyrics like, "Whoa whoa I'm in love with Juda-as, Jud-as," "Judas is my virtue
and Judas is the demon I cling to I cling to."
This is something that should not be shown to the youth we have Bishop Reuben
Abante, Lighthouse Bible Baptist Church
Lady Gaga's Filipino promoter, Ovation Productions, is run by Renen de Guia,
who is described on the company's website as a born-again Christian. Attempts to
reach him were not successful.
When asked if Lady Gaga's concerts could contravene Philippine laws, Loretta
Ann P. Rosales, chairwoman of the Commission on Human Rights, replied in an
email, "The Philippines is proud of the fact that we do indeed have one of the
best Bill of Rights in our Constitution that has the widest latitude as all
other Constitutional democracies in protecting freedom of thought, freedom of
expression, freedom of religion."
"I have heard raves over her concert by Filipinos who have watched her," she
added. "Maybe I shall have a chance to enjoy her concert too one day."
Lady Gaga versus Indonesia The protests in the Philippines are the latest in
the problematic Asian tour for Lady Gaga. Her provocative lyrics and risqué
costumes have prompted conservative Muslims in Indonesia to call for the
cancellation of her upcoming concert in Jakarta.
As of Monday, her Indonesian promoter, Big Daddy Entertainment, was still
trying to secure a permit, and the June 3 event was still on, according to its
website.
Read
more about the Muslim protests against Lady Gaga
When she opened her tour in Seoul, South Korea, last month, it was to
concertgoers aged 18 and above after the Korea Media Rating Board banned the
show for minors, even with an accompanying parent or guardian.
At the heart of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" tour is her message to gay youth
to embrace and accept their sexual identities.
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
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