Political Parodies and Impersonations

A recent SNL episode where Will Farrell and Tina Fey played such convincing impersonations of US political personalities reminded me that a tradition of impersonating political figures somehow never took hold in the Philippine comedy scene. The few TV comedy productions that managed to land here locally (i.e., in Canada) are basically sit-coms, more slap-stick style, depicting Filipinos in their familiar social angst, romantic encounters, and so on, generally made as if the comedies of Chichay, Dolphy, Pancito and their irks of the 50s never evolved, and caught agonizingly in an artistic time warp. A few parodies of, say, GMA or Miriam Defensor, including some political ads, had appeared on YouTube; although some are side-splittingly funny, in the main these are amateurish productions and not meant for the mass media. The obvious gestures, facial distortions, and speech patterns of trapos are a gold mine of materials and surely easy pickings for accomplished Philippine comedians or actors, but why is that there is a complete absence of SNL or MadTV type of political humor in the Philippine TV landscape? Could it be that the Philippine art scene is not ready for this genre? Or are political impersonations something considered off-limits by conventional artists?

There is something therapeutic about watching political impersonations. Tina Fey’s impressive amplification of Sarah Palin’s every swagger, provincialism and Alaskan accent makes me see Palin as a more likable, very human, personality. As for George W, Kelefa Sanneh writing for the New Yorker, says, “Will Ferrell played the second President Bush as a cheerful idiot who had been thrown into the deep end; he captured the winsome earnestness of a guy doing the best he can.” While the jury is still out about the benefits of political parodies on people’s political understanding, in my opinion edification of political issues and platforms somehow still results. To me, parodies humanize, instead of demonize, their subjects. Of course, the circumstances and issues portrayed in these comedies are half-truths, but then when do we see the whole truth anyway?

I have heard though a certain sophistication or intelligent level by the audience is needed to truly make political impersonations popular and some may argue that the common Filipino has not attain that level of political maturity. After all, it has to be devastating to a comedian for someone to respond with “I don’t get it” after the punchline is delivered. But is the Filipino audience really unable to appreciate political humor? I am not sure. Just imagine a petite actress playing GMA while she makes her ‘The Lord puts me here” speech, complete with her smirk, the facial mole that rises and falls with each emotional outburst, and the finger-pointing punctuations, would you not hear the roar from the audience? Since I am not familiar with the current line-up of actresses, I wonder who can play her to the T?

There was a movie about the downfall of the Marcos dynasty a number of years back. Made by a North American company, it ended with the ousted Imelda on the evacuation plane singing “New York, New York” to herself, almost like a Verdi aria of a person heading for the gallows. But then this was a serious drama. However, the poignant portrayal of the Marcos downfall seemed such a parable to me about power and its corruption, in addition to my contradictory sympathy for the fallen First Lady. So I thought watching it was worthwhile and educational. I can’t remember now who played Imelda but she was skillful.

So, I ask you again: why is political parody such a rare thing in the Philippine media scene?