Scout: 2017 July-August by Hinge Inquirer Publications

JULY - A UGUST 2017

g n i n i h s J U LIA BARRET TO

S C OU T M AG . P H

FREE M A GAZINE!

I S S U E NO . 2 7

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in this issue

i o n kia

happy birthday, scout!

n a

lenciano

24 a

F E AT U R E

8 MUSIC

bp valenzuela

14 E S S AY

call-out culture

i o n kia

16 F E AT U R E

your daily self-care reminders

20 C U LT U R E

the 2017 millennial glossary

22 E S S AY

hard work in the time of mocha uson

30 F E AT U R E

how to throw a music fest

32 SCENE

scout x csb campus tour

34 ON THE COVER

julia barretto

42 PROFILE

paolo tiongson AKA poor taste

48 B A C K S T O RY

#SCOUT27 #SCOUTXJULIA #HAPPYBIRTHDAYSCOUT

remembering the first scout cover ever

“hey scout team, w h a t ’s y o u r b i r t h d a y w i s h ? ” W W W . S C O U T M A G . P H

EDITOR IN CHIEF

BEA J. LEDESMA ROMEO MORAN

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Nimu Muallam

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Denise Fernandez

SENIOR GRAPHIC ARTIST

Grace de Luna

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

Lex Celera Celene Sakurako

GROUP PUBLISHER

COPY EDITOR

Patricia Romualdez

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Rissa Coronel, Nielli Martinez, Cedric S. Reyes

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS

Nika Dizon, Ross Du, Terence Eduarte

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Paolo Crodua, JL Javier, Ralph Mendoza, JP Talapian

CONTRIBUTING VIDEOGRAPHERS

Niccollo Santos, Richard Webb

CONTRIBUTING STYLISTS

JL Crespo, Jed Gregorio, Lorenz Namalata, Ryuji Shiomitsu

CONTRIBUTING HAIR & MAKEUP ARTISTS

Nicole Ceballos, Elaine de Silva, Lala Flores, Charlie Manapat, John Valle, Bullet Reyes

INTERNS

Molly Arcilla, Emma Buhain, Veronica Cabanos, Airelle Castillo, Samantha Clerigo, Johmar Damiles, Colin Dancel, Lala Del Rosario, Camille Fernandez, Pocholo Gaerlan, Gabrielle Gatchalian, Aryl Gudaca, Jai Hong, Pauline Lapus, Roi Lim, Alexandra Mascenon, Mica Magsanoc, Koi Mapolon, Chloe Palamos, Martie Rosales, Jao San Pedro, Bryan Sochayseng, Meg Valencia

EDITORIAL CONSULTANT

Ria Francisco-Prieto

BOARD CHAIRPERSON

Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez

FINANCE ADVISER AND TREASURER

J. Ferdinand De Luzuriaga

LEGAL ADVISER

Atty. Rudyard Arbolado

VP/GROUP HR HEAD

Raymund Soberano

VP & CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER

Imelda C. Alcantara

HR DIRECTOR - SHARED SERVICES

Chuchi A. Gracia

SENIOR HR MANAGER

Ma. Leonisa L. Gabrieles

HR SPECIALIST

Reynalyn S. Fernandez

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT/ EDITORIAL CONTENT PLANNER

Jullia Pecayo

HEAD OF OPERATIONS AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Lurisa Ann Villanueva

SVP & GROUP SALES HEAD,

Felipe R. Olarte

AVP FOR SALES

Ma. Katrina Garcia-Dalusong

KEY ACCOUNTS SPECIALIST

Angelita Tan-Ibañez

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Thea Ordiales, Abby Ginaga

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Charm Banzuelo, Liza Jison, Andie Zuñiga

SALES SUPPORT ASSISTANTS

Rechelle Endozo, Manilyn Ilumin

MARKETING & EVENTS MANAGER

Jellic Tapia

EVENTS MARKETING SUPERVISOR

Bianca Dalumpines

BRAND MARKETING SUPERVISOR

Ina Rodriguez

EVENTS MARKETING ASSISTANT

Merjorie May Young

BRAND MARKETING ASSISTANT

Nicole Uson

MARKETING SENIOR GRAPHIC ARTIST

Roi De Castro

MARKETING GRAPHIC ARTIST

Janina David

BUSINESS & DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

Rina Lareza

DISTRIBUTION SPECIALIST

Arnulfo Naron

LOGISTICS SUPERVISOR

Nancy Baybay

DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANT

Angela Carlos-Quiambao

SUBSCRIPTION ASSISTANT

Blue Infante

CIRCULATION ASSISTANT

Princess Martinez

INQUIRER GROUP OF COMPANIES

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Jan Cariquitan

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

Maricel Gavino

FINAL ART SUPERVISOR

Dennis Cruz

FINAL ART ASSISTANT

Argyl Leones

“For our third birthday, my wish is simple: I hope that everyone we contact for a feature says yes immediately, with no reservations. Everyone. Imagine who we’d be able to get if that happened.” ROMEO

“I just want the team to spend more days outside without any deadlines breathing down our necks. Maybe have an educational trip out of town. Or at the very least, go home while the sun is still up.” LEX

“My wish for Scout, as cliché as it sounds, is for it to go on for many more years. And of course, grow its team. Three is still young. We’re like a baby. How about 10 years?”

“My birthday wish for

Scout is for the team to

never run out of their creative juices. With the years to come, I want Scout to churn out even better content than before—better photos, better visuals, and better writing. And in the process, I wish for Scout to be the best local mag about youth culture!” DENISE

“The Scout Team are such big lovers of donuts. So for our third birthday, I’m wishing for a really tall tower of donuts as our birthday cake. It has to be big enough for everyone who’s going to the Scout Music Fest to get a piece!” GRACE

CELENE

@scout m a gp h s c o u t m a g p h@g m ail.c o m

4F Media Resource Plaza, Mola cor. Pasong Tirad Sts., Brgy. La Paz Makati City

CMY

YMC

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

BEST OF SCOUT: THE HITS, CHAPTER ONE We’ve had a lot of people come by our pages in the last three years, and you know they’re pretty talented. To celebrate our third birthday, we put a collection of our friends in one playlist.

Album art by Jao San Pedro

James Reid - Cool Down Kiana Valenciano - Does She Know feat. Curtismith BP Valenzuela - bbgirl Manila Magic - In the Night No Rome - Adore Paulo Avelino - Lloydy Eyedress - Manila Ice June Marieezy - All the Other Girls Iñigo Pascual - Binibini Yassi Pressman - Hush feat. Nadine Lustre Celebrate three years of Scout with us and go to our official Spotify profile, Scoutmagph.

feel like I’ve been saying this a lot this entire issue—although there are only two other stories in here where I could possibly mention it—but damn, three years fly by really fast. This July-August issue marks three years of Scout being alive. It also marks three years of me being on the team. Yes, I’m the only one around here now who was part of the original editorial team that started the magazine in 2014. That’s when a guy named Eyedress, a guy good enough to get a look in London, to say the least, was on the cover of a completely different Scout from what you’re holding in your hands right now. Everything back then was a little more cutesy, a little raw, and somewhat unsure of itself. (I look back on that issue in the very last page of this one.) It was a journey that would be both the best and worst in my life. Scout, at times, especially somewhere near the beginning, wasn’t something I always understood. I certainly didn’t always identify with the artsy, collagey incarnation. But the more time I spent with it, the more I grew with it. Over time, I started to get it more, and it definitely helped that I was able to make it partly my own where I didn’t quite have the space to before, to turn it into something I definitely believed would leave a mark somehow on those who picked up a copy. At least, to impact them to the best of all our abilities—we knew, and currently know, we’re far from being perfect. But by God, we’re trying, and we’re learning every day. And before it really hit me, those three years were already in the rear view. Hell, I never even thought I’d get this job, that I’d get this far. So having said that, I’d like to announce that this is my last issue with Scout. It’s been a whole lot of fun. I’m thankful for the places we’ve gotten to go to, everything we’ve been able to try, everyone I’ve met along the way, and the opportunities to tell stories. That’s really all I’ve ever wanted getting into this business: the chance to really live life, and document everything that happens in it. I daresay I’ve gotten way more than I bargained for—sometimes, even way more than I could handle. If there’s anything I learned about our generation in my whole time here, it’s that we don’t take life lying down. I think it’s a lesson we, across all the different Scout teams, have learned making this magazine. With every person we put in each issue, I realize it seems like we’re more determined than other generations to fight for something better, to make another way when everything the world’s offering us just isn’t acceptable. If older people are quaking in their boots with frustration and anger when they deal with us, it’s probably because they’ve always expected it to be normal to stick to the status quo. And Julia Barretto, our cover girl for this third anniversary issue, is growing into a force to be reckoned with. Her greatest career triumph so far came in the form of Vince and Kath and James (VKJ), the entry that seemed out of place in a Metro Manila Film Festival that was highly touted as a much-anticipated departure from the Christmas season money grabs of old. VKJ turned out to be a solid execution of the rom-com formula, proving that what we usually malign could end up being better than we expect, so long as there’s enough willpower for it. Julia seems like a true artist who’s looking for a different approach, and it feels like she’s just waiting to shed the old-fashioned trappings of the system she was born into. Like I said, this generation makes another way. Moving forward, even after I’m gone, you can be sure that Scout will continue shining the spotlight on all the young people whose stories you need to hear. As long as this generation continues to fight and do well, we’ll be here. That’s just the way we’re built, and that’s what we’ve been doing since day one. And for a final request I’d like to make from you, reader of this magazine and this letter right now, it’s to please forgive. We, millennials most especially, are human. We’re not built to be perfect, and we grew up in a flawed world we’re fighting to fix every single day. We will trip up, we will make mistakes whether or not we intend to, just because there’s still a lot of work to be done. I lament that we’re starting to become the generation who doesn’t have it in them to forgive and educate. Yes, a lot of things are evil, but more often than not, people are just misinformed. Be firm, but kind, everyone. Now more than ever, be kind. With that, I leave you all with this issue, which we hope you do enjoy. It’s been absolutely wonderful. Peace.

ROMEO

virtual gallery JAPPY AGONCILLO redefines how we experience art on the street and on our screens

A VISIT TO Jappy Agoncillo’s Instagram (@jappylemon) instantly lets you appreciate his art. His paintings, illustrations, and murals refine the spaces of Metro Manila with images from our childhood—from candy–colored animals, heroes, to popular celebrities like Sylvester Stallone and Benedict Cumberbatch. The viewer immediately faces his subjects that are mostly pop cult icons and are rendered through bold outlines from comic art, stylized compositions of the street discipline, and coloring with hints of vector illustrations. Unlike other artists, this young muralist didn’t get his big break from mounting art in galleries nor from getting ravishing reviews from established critics. He’s a product of the internet and social media. “There’s a great need to get your art out online because it’s a great new way to share art that cannot be made accessible to many,” he shares. In other words, the internet makes art accessible and nonconforming. Artists no longer need to be anointed by art critics, the legitimacy of art no longer solely at the mercy of their praise. Because out there, the power to identify and claim oneself as an artist—and equally the power to see, interpret, and distribute art—has finally belonged to the people. “People now can discover their talent purely through the use of technology and recreate something they found cool on the internet,” he says.

Jappy Agoncillo is known for his comic book style illustrations.

2017 0627 PAYMAYA Advert.indd 1

The internet has a transformative effect on artists like him, “You allow yourself to be inspired by others and they let you be inspired by their art all through your phone.” That’s why there’s a personal level of familiarity with his subjects because they’re the images we constantly search online: Aloha girls. Skulls. Wolves. Batman. Tupac. Ninjas. Or Gogo Yubari. Or Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria. “With all these [mobile] apps, you have all these places to get inspiration from,” he says. Jappy shares that there are times he would want to watch a street art documentary, or read about art history only to find out that the links lead to a frustrating dead end and a need to pay for the access. But this doesn’t stop Jappy from trawling the internet for inspiration—he’s been able to access content from Netflix and Spotify through his PayMaya, a prepaid reloadable app that provides a virtual Visa or Mastercard to pay online. PayMaya also enables him to receive payments from his clients, whether they’re big businesses or non-government organizations. His work appeals to millennials who see street art as an expression of coolness, of liberal freedom, and of unrestrained creativity. “Street art in Manila has been about bringing color to the gray of the city—both literally and figuratively,” Jappy says. “I’m very lucky to be an artist at a time when street art is so sought-after, not only by corporate entities but by the general public. It’s an amazing time to be an artist now.” For more information on PayMaya, visit www.paymaya.com. Join the conversation online by tagging PayMaya on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @PayMayaOfficial. Get support at @PayMayaCares.■

A colorful montage of pop icons led Jappy to breaking the internet with his art.

Sun-kissed Jappy working on a dream come true project for a music festival.

27/06/2017 2:10 PM

feature

birthday texts

JULIA BARRETTO July-August 2017 cover girl

JASMINE CURTIS-SMITH December 2015-January 2016 and March-April 2017 cover girl

LA AGUINALDO June 2015 cover boy

CAI SUBIJANO First Scout Magazine editor-in-chief

PROUDRACE Collaborators for Scout’s first merchandise

PETERSEN VARGAS Award-winning film director for 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten (2016)

Background illustration by ARYL GUDACA

It’s the best time of the year. Some of our friends and family show us some love on our third anniversary

music

An evolved BP VALENZUELA emerges more empowered and fiercer than ever, far from the mild-mannered rookie musician you used to know

By DENISE FERNANDEZ Photography by JP TALAPIAN Styling by JL CRESPO

metamorphosis

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10 music

H&M sunnies, SM Mega Fashion Hall FOREVER 21 sunnies, SM Mega Fashion Hall NIKE cardigan, SM Aura

BEFORE MAKING A NAME for herself and gaining traction across the country, BP Valenzuela was an idealistic rookie who wasn’t sure of the things she would eventually encounter as part of the independent music industry. In the years she’s been active, BP has joined and eventually left music collective Logiclub; spoken out about various issues revolving around politics, the LGBT movement, and intersectional feminism; and called out other artists online, the most prominent instance being her feud with SUD and the group’s infamous Pulp magazine cover portraying a male gaze for a lesbian couple. “I got very emotional about it, mostly because, ’yun nga, the Philippines is a very Catholic country that also sees women like that. I got frustrated and it led me to let go. A lot of people’s toes got stepped [on] because of what I was saying [online]. But then other people started to talk about it and I’m not sorry about that. I’m not sorry because people need to talk about it.” Internet feuds, especially with celebrities involved, cause people to take sides and put certain personalities up on a pedestal, which is what many did with BP against other “less woke” artists. Once, she found herself in an unwanted comparison with rapper Curtismith (who’s gained infamy for his public friendship and support of Sandro Marcos, grandson of the dictator) in a tweet that gained viral status. “With the political climate of today, everyone’s a little riled up, a little angrier so they look for saviors. I don’t like being put on a pedestal, as a musician, as a person, as a human being, but I feel like it’s necessary for people to [have role models]. I mean if you have a platform, why would you use that just for self-preservation? I’m also not careful as I should be. I can be very impulsive. I used to be very cautious and mild-mannered. But as I grew older, with the circumstances of what I did, I had to question myself, my goals, my beliefs, and what was necessary for me to just be an artist in the Philippines right now. I just wanted to be the kind of person I would look up to when I was young.”

In 2013, I was about to enter the latter half of my third year of college, working under my school’s official publication and media outlet, when my senior gave me a set of videos she wanted me to edit. Ateneo de Manila University’s The Guidon had just started a new web series online called Pub Room Sessions, where the staff would invite a campus musician to perform inside the org’s space (named the “pub room,” hence the series’ title), and then put out the acoustic concert’s video on YouTube. My first editing assignment for this particular Pub Room Session was an episode about a university freshman called BP Valenzuela. Video editing is tedious work, but editing BP made it less so. Her quiet vocals held an allure that’s hard to resist. She tinkered around with foreign-looking pedals and knobs while playing guitar at the same time. She smiled and shook her head to herself whenever she made mistakes on camera, but determinedly continued with her covers of I Can’t Make You Love Me, Teenage Dirtbag, and Electric Feel. Instantly, I knew this girl was going to make it big, announcing to my

friends outside school that they just had to listen to her. Staff members who were watching the day it was recorded could sense her potential. Back then, BP wore her hair short and sported glasses and loose clothing, with a pair of headphones perpetually around her neck. She made music at home solely for herself. Since then, she’s released an EP, grown her hair to waist length, put out a critically acclaimed album, performed countless gigs around the country, experimented with makeup and style, scored major motion pictures, became a social media icon and digital influencer, and cut her hair short yet again. At the time of this writing, she is preparing for her much-anticipated sophomore record. It’s 5 p.m. when BP rushes into the studio late, right after shooting with two other magazines the entire day. Her expression is wildly remorseful and she profusely apologizes to the team as soon as she shows up. The shoot goes well as BP gamely poses, following all the unconventional directions our artist gives her. We laugh with her when her eyes tear up from all the makeup and when we wrap her in cling wrap. BP still enjoys giggling at all her awkwardness (she does this a lot during the shoot itself) but holds herself more confidently, staring at the camera lens with a boldness I hadn’t witnessed in the girl I saw in 2013. This artist has grown up. This BP Valenzuela has gone and will continue to go places. Her sophomore LP “Crydancer,” due out on her 22nd birthday this July 7, sonically shuffles a bit further from her previous album, “The Neon Hour.” While her highly successful debut focuses on a more fixed pop sound, “Crydancer” is spaced out and far more experimental, with BP regarding her music for this album as a shared experience with her listeners rather than an outlet for herself. “It’s my form of therapy, so I made music with that mindset. Of course, when I started out, I didn’t know the amount of shows I would be playing. I didn’t know the amount of attention I would get. I didn’t know how many people would be listening,” she says. “This time, I don’t want any fillers. I want [an album] that people will enjoy because I really enjoyed [making it]. A lot of the music I wrote before was just for myself and whomever it was directed to, just so I could

music 11

â&#x20AC;&#x153;As I grew older, with the circumstances of what I did, I had to question myself, my goals, my beliefs, and what was necessary for me to just be an artist in the Philippines right now. I just wanted to be the kind of person I would look up to when I was young.â&#x20AC;?

ADER ERROR sweater and top, adererror.com

12 music

manage my emotions. Now it’s different because I know what it feels like to connect with an audience. I know what it feels like to play music, to listen to music, and to just really feel it. I want to share it, and for people to feel the same way when they listen to my songs.” BP has been teasing the album over the months leading up to its July release, putting out bbgirl and Cards as its first two singles—both of which have music videos portraying and representing the LGBT community, which BP is a proud member of. Both songs have gained praise from netizens identifying with the movement, earning the young musician role model status online. “I didn’t have stuff like that growing up,” she says. “[The videos] weren’t made with representation in mind, but that’s really who I am. The kind of thing that makes people happy would be that kind of thing where they can see themselves. I’ve never felt that before, but now that I see it—it’s always going to be important to me.” Considering everything she’s been through, has her views on the indie scene changed? All it takes is some compromise, self-awareness, and empathy, in her opinion. “At the end of the day, everyone puts up with shit. Everyone has a bad day. We work with people we don’t want to work with and it’s in any industry. It just so happens that this industry is on a platform and people are listening,” BP elaborates. “Everyone wants to get along, of course. Nobody wants conflict. But conflict is necessary and discussion is necessary, and the people who push back against you... it’s like, why? Ayoko yung parang, ‘Ano, tayo-tayo na nga lang.’ I mean, yeah, tayo-tayo na nga lang but that doesn’t give you the excuse to do whatever the fuck you want and expect that people won’t question you.” Many media outlets have called her a wunderkind and one of the most prominent female artists of this generation, all before she’s even reached her mid-twenties. But as a woman in local music, BP has battled misogyny, having gone through scrutiny on her image and sexual orientation and even learning production on her own after not being taken seriously by a recording engineer. In the age of social media and digital music, she is one beacon of light for female artists, unafraid of fighting for her beliefs and flipping a big, fat middle finger to anyone discriminating against what she decides to represent. But amid all the craziness within the past few years, BP is still very much a regular girl who simply enjoys immersing herself in different hobbies outside music. She’s recently taught herself how to skate and has also started getting into K-pop. She still plays video games and likes

taking videos of her three pets (one dog, one cat, and one bird often seen perched on her shoulder) at home. Her dreams as of now are humble—to put out “Crydancer,” and just keep touring and playing shows, possibly outside the country. Regardless of all the change and the things that come and go, what really remains constant is her love and passion for music. What used to be her safe haven turned into a communal experience that she’s more than willing to share with anyone who wishes to listen, and surely, there are many who do. This is what keeps BP going. “When you put something out there, it’s not yours anymore. It’s everyone else’s. When I play at shows and then I hear people singing along or spot a couple holding hands, it’s like, shit. Whoa. It’s incredible that [my music] could even be synthesized into something else. The fact that it could help someone go through hardships is so important to me. To watch people commit and appreciate and connect and relate to it... iba na ’yun. That’s some good shit. I love that.” n

Stylist’s Assistant EDWARD JOSON, Makeup by NICOLE CEBALLOS, Hair by BULLET REYES

OXYGEN jacket, Glorietta 3 STREET STAR PH belt, 168 Shopping Mall TRUE RELIGION pants, truereligion.com

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14 essay

pain behind the screen Different people share how they deal when mobs form on social media and go on witch hunts, even when they’ve got good intentions

By RISSA CORONEL Illustration by NIKA DIZON A FRIEND ONCE SAID that social media has gone from a way to take a break to something you have to take breaks from. The degree of power it wields—to connect, reach out, have our voices heard by people anywhere in the world—also comes with the potential to bring out the worst in us. A lot of us have, at some point, been unwitting spectators of personal and public drama. Sometimes we watch with anticipation, or even add fuel to the flame as celebrities and regular people alike are roasted—dragged, ended, canceled—in 140 characters or less. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but that thoughtless comment might leave longlasting psychological scars. If you believe online shaming is not a big deal because it’s “not real,” think again. In our efforts to defend our side of the argument—especially if it’s someone we don’t like—we forget the human on the other side of the screen. It really does a number on the self-esteem of those targeted. Mica* experienced it because of a real-life misunderstanding, and says that it definitely took a toll on the self-esteem of those involved: “You’d think you’re only as good as people say you are.”

essay 15

HOW ONLINE SPEECH

GOES WRONG

Sandra* also experienced a crossover from a real-life fight that eventually turned into straightup online bullying. It ruined her reputation among her social circles, especially when an unknown number claiming to be her repeatedly harassed several people via text. “I didn’t even know half the people who liked the tweets calling me out,” she says about the ordeal. Her depression reached a point where she experienced suicidal urges—her real friends slept at her condo to make sure she didn’t do anything rash. Slut-shaming will always be offensive and hurtful, no matter the medium. Zoey* (see sidebar) became depressed, suffering from very low self-esteem and trust issues, with “episodes of thinking about why someone would shame [her] for a harmless post.” Kaye* admits to becoming suicidal after reading insults about her appearance. It takes some people a long time to learn how to be comfortable with themselves, and thoughtless words can derail all that progress. The many messages and threats that university professor Nathania Chua has received initially made her afraid for her safety. “I went on a total lockdown in terms of my physical privacy and location for a while.” She quickly moved past these incidents, especially remembering that most of the accounts were created by social media machineries just to harass her. Nona* also quickly transcended her experience with online shaming, considering it relatively less severe but still annoying—especially since she was attacked for simply not liking a film. “I’m used to critiquing culture from a political and societal lens, but seeing those people ignore my critique and make fun of my points... You can’t help but get annoyed.” Janice*, on the other hand, was able to realize from her experience that sexist jokes and gender insensitivity could push someone over the edge: “What I think is just an offhand or meaningless thing could be the thousandth time someone has heard that insult.”

The internet has made it impossible to commit mistakes unnoticed. So much more is expected of us in terms of fact-checking, cultural sensitivity, and political correctness. Our real-world misbehaviors might even be secretly recorded, like what happened to “Amalayer Girl” back in 2012, when a video of Paula Jamie Salvosa was recorded screaming “I’m a liar?” at someone else on the LRT had made the rounds a few years ago. (She has since used this incident as a learning opportunity to strengthen her faith and now works full-time for a Christian ministry.) Janice mentions that people calling you out isn’t always bad. “Realize that they’re coming from a different place than you are, and their thoughts are shaped by experiences. Listen to what they’re trying to tell you.” Although there are people like Janice who manage to be reflexive while being shamed online, there are more tactful ways to correct someone that don’t involve embarrassing them in front of their whole friends list. Like in real life, you’re likely not going to listen to someone’s

Social media makes it easy for people to throw shade, which means it’s easy for harassment to quickly snowball online. The following are real accounts of people’s experiences with online shaming and harassment, as told to the author—some incidents will be kept vague to protect the respondents’ privacy

Online shaming, bullying, and harassment. Janice* got dragged (and rightfully so, she reflects) for being sexist on Facebook and various forums, while three other respondents mentioned that they were bullied online for “real-life bullying that extended to the internet.” One-sided discourse. Shaming someone online can be done with the misplaced intention of “educating someone”—which sometimes masks a desire for likes within our social circles, brownie points for wokeness, as writer Nika Dizon explores in an article on Scoutmag.ph. The option for likes and shares can make social media more like an approval machine, more than actual engagement. Cultural activist Nona al-Raschid’s experience with online shaming happened on Twitter, after she posted a thread explaining why she couldn’t relate to a certain film. “The direct responses I got were positive, [but] I was alerted to people subtweeting me.” Complete strangers mocked her personal opinions, making fun of her argument and the examples used in her thread. Political propaganda. There are a lot of insensitive and legitimately hateful things floating around on the internet. This is especially seen in the context of our tense political climate here in the Philippines,

points if they come at you with hostility and disrespect. Mica points out, “There are better and more private ways of handling conflict, that won’t involve attacking the person publicly. More often than not, it puts you under a bad light as it reflects your personality.” This is especially true of those who let their prejudices show in their online comments, like those who slut-shamed Zoey and Kaye. More people are becoming aware of the faults of slut-shaming, but it still happens. Jane*, who witnessed her resulting depression firsthand, adds, “I wish people would let others do whatever makes them feel good if it doesn’t hurt anyone else.” Nona mostly dealt with online shaming by exercising her right to use Twitter’s mute function. She also advises that “a solid, objective view of the conditions you’re being put in helps, especially if you aren’t doing anything wrong.” If you’re dealing with a serious case of harassment, the report and block buttons have got you. Online harassment is the main reason social media sites have those functions in the first place. Nathania has a similar view of the trolls in her situation. She sees them as noise that distracts from the messages she wants to convey. “I remember all the people I’m doing it for, the

manifesting online through trolls and fake news. This shapes public opinion with warped versions of the truth, even going so far as to harass those who disagree. An example of online political harassment would be that endured by Nathania Chua, a university instructor vocal in her criticism of the current administration. In retaliation for her pointed critiques of blogger-turned-government official Mocha Uson, Nathania’s online details were exposed in a post made by political activist Sass Sasot. Nathania recalls that in the post, “Sass fabricated a lot of things about me, about how I work and my institution.” She mentions there was no basis to what Sass said, and both Sass and Mocha have thousands of followers who believe the propaganda peddled against her. Slut-shaming. Two of the responses had to do with slut-shaming, as Zoey* was called out for posting a photo of herself in a crop top. Kaye*, on the other hand, was insulted for her clothing and looks. Guys, it’s the 21st century, and some people still can’t wrap their minds around the idea that what people wear is none of their business. There’s no harm in someone being proud of their looks and posting an #OOTD; what’s harmful is making assumptions about a woman’s character or sex life based on her clothing.

people who [need] someone to speak out on their behalf.” Her advice to those who experience online harassment is to remember who you are as a person, in spite of the insults or lies you may read about yourself. “Do not allow them to make judgments about who you are. These people have only judged you by a series of tweets, or even propaganda spread against you. If you know who you are and what you stand for, the battle will be a bit easier.” Difficult as it may feel to move out of a headspace where you keep thinking about your online presence, you have every right to take a social media sabbatical when it becomes too much. A few respondents acknowledged the fact that we don’t live on the internet alone. At the end of the day, we are not confined to an online space a la Black Mirror. Whether your battle is to shed light on sociopolitical issues, comment on new forms of art and media, or practice self-love by posting your outfits, “you have to take your tweets to the street,” as Nathania quips. “Real battles are won offline. It can’t be all social media, all like, share, retweet. Ultimately, your actions have to speak much louder than what a post would say.” n *names changed to protect privacy.

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It can be easy to forget to take care of yourself, what with everything going on at school, work, and our personal lives. Self-care greatly affects how you relate to yourself and everyone else—it’s part of your overall physical, mental and emotional well-being. Take the ones you need, cut them out, and slap them on a convenient location. Illustrations by ALEXANDRA MASCENON Text by RISSA CORONEL

Classic real leather watch band for Apple Watch in Brown. Available in 38mm and 4 2mm.

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20 culture

Wa tCh yOUr mouTh! A glossary of choice millennial terms from the past few years. Some we should keep, some we should leave behind By LEX CELERA

AS POLONIUS in Hamlet points out, brevity is the soul of wit. The more concise, the better. The quicker we get to say what we want with our thumbs before the next person in the group chat changes the conversation, the better. Here’s Scout’s glossary of millennial terms, divided by which should go and which should stay.

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WORDS THAT CAN STAY: Beshie /beSHē/ (noun)

We don’t have the details on origin, but beshie most likely came from beh, or bes, which probably came from best, which is short for best friend. A necessary word today not only for its intended humorous effect, but also for its stress on emotional distance. There are just really some people who aren’t really our best friends, but mean a lot more to us than just friends. That’s probably what the extra “h” is for.

Brodie /brōdē/ (noun) Bro, dude, man. Also what Russell Westbrook calls himself and his brother. Side note: Russell Westbrook looks a lot like Bodie from The Wire. Is that why he calls himself Brodie? Ednis /ednis/ (verb) The word “sinde” inverted, and also has the same meaning: to burn, in most contexts mostly marijuana. Inverting words always has been the Filipino trend in coming up with new slang, and even though some are overused (looking at you, lodi), they’re not going away anytime soon. Be responsible, friends. Don’t get too gobas.

“HoKagE” WORDS TO RETIRE:

FR (adverb)

Dab /dab/ (verb) 1. A dance move borne out of the Atlanta trap scene. 2. A potent form of marijuana. Let the second, legitimate definition stay. Just let this dance craze die already, please. Let’s start by not letting the word ever leave our mouths.

Receipts /rə'sēts/ (noun) Anything that can serve as evidence for drama (pictures, screen caps, texts, etc.). “I got receipts” sounds very badass. “I have the evidence” doesn’t.

Daddy /'dadē/ (noun)

Short for “for real.” When someone texts you “I’m with you on this fr fr” you know he’s really with you. You just know it. Literally give me two other letters that when put together make you feel safe.

Tea /tē/ (noun)

Gossip, rumors. Some say, “T stands for the truth.” This word has been around for a long time and it’s staying strong (we can probably thank RuPaul’s Drag Race for that.) There will always be drama, so there will always be tea. To spill, of course.

Trash /traSH/ (noun/adjective)

A slang term from the sex-positive community for an older man. Completely different from a “sugar daddy.” Today, people use the term for any attractive man. Not everyone can be called daddy. Sorry friends, but this word can’t stay if you guys can’t use it correctly.

Dope /dōp/ (adjective) Something awesome, sometimes a word for marijuana, sometimes meth, sometimes heroin. Sometimes dope isn’t so dope. If everything’s dope, nothing is. Think of another adjective next time.

1. Another word for garbage. 2. When you’re a big fan of something, e.g. Hamiltrash for fans of “Hamilton.” Both necessary definitions that aren’t always mutually exclusive. One-syllable words are always better.

Hokage /hokage/ (noun) If you know what this word means in a certain context you’re either trash or you know someone who is. “Ninja/Hokage moves” should die, not just go into retirement.

Trigger /'trigər/ (noun/verb) Stimulus that can set someone off, possibly to remember certain traumatic experiences or feel anger. We need a singular statement to describe what causes our complex, highly individual reactions to certain things. Our traumas are real; what’s a more succinct way to bring these traumas into a conversation?

Hype /hīp/ (noun) Something to be excited about, something to look forward to. Has ties to streetwear (hence the word hypebeast). Let’s be honest, a lot of hype out there is manufactured. Stop riding the hype trains; sit down and be your own person instead.

Wyd (expression)

Shorthand for “What are you doing?” It’s easy to type, you know what it means, and your parents aren’t using it. Yet. It’s also the perfect mix of slight indifference and slight attention that we constitute as cool.

Yasss

/yasss/ (interjection) A humorous, sassy way of saying yes. The more s’s there are, the sassier. Let this word live while it’s still fun to hear and read.

“BeShiE”

LIT AF /litaf/ (adjective) When something is lit, it’s crazy in a good way. It has a certain grandeur. When something is LIT AF (All caps intended), that thing better be grandiose as hell. Most of the time, it isn’t. Unless you take it literally. A warehouse of fireworks blowing up can be LIT AF then. Savage /'savij/ (noun/adjective) Someone who has a lack of restraint, to the point of violence. This was funny when we were being ironic. Real violence isn’t cool. Being a savage isn’t cool. And using a term used by colonizers to justify killing the colonized is definitely not cool. Swag /swag/ (noun) A state of being in line with fashionably impressive values, without exerting any effort. It’s 2017. Why does this word still exist? Thot /THôt/ (noun)

Acronym for That Hoe Over There or Thirsty Hoe Over There. Mostly used by men to describe women who are sexually promiscuous. Like who the hell do you think you are, judging people who are open about their sexuality? Have you ever heard a girl call herself a thot? Please.

22 essay

essay 23

why work hard? MY TENNIS SHOES never fit quite right. They were too tight around the heel, had too much width in the front for my toes to thrash around when I did the footwork. Still, I walked to my tennis class every day, five days a week during that long and balmy summer. I was never particularly athletic, and must have raised eyebrows during my first day on court. I had zero knowledge of the mechanics of tennis, but I had a pretty decent racket and some shorts on. I thought I looked the part, and, to my 12-yearold mind, this was the first step of my slow but certain ascent to tennis mastery. I was going to make it. I knew I was. It was my mom who insisted that I try tennis. She was always of the firm opinion that, with a little bit of hard work, you could earn a living, achieve goals, and acquire skills. According to her, anything was possible when you clocked in enough hours. I didn’t particularly want to learn tennis, or any sport for that matter. But the idea that industriousness was the route to success resounded in my tiny ears. I bought every word of it. I believed that to turn any kind of heady, farfetched dream into reality, hard work was not only crucial, but also sufficient. I thought it was all I needed. I also wanted to make my mom happy. So I did the hours, tied my ill-fitting, borrowed tennis shoes five days a week until my sessions ended and I was still missing all of my serves. On our last day, my coach patted me on the head, and, gesturing to my belly that had sunk from months of plunking around without grace on his court, said, “The exercise did you good.” The consolation didn’t help my tiny 12-year-old ego. My crash and burn run-in with tennis after rigorous sessions of sweaty, chafed toiling had yielded no results, and I was left wondering: what gives? I had bought into the allure of hard work for many reasons, the least of them being that mom knows best. Working hard can seem rather glamorous, especially when it’s packaged as the foolproof key to success. Just pound out the hours for everything, from learning a sport to landing a dream job, and it will all work out fine. There lies the paradox: success can be easy, just work as hard as you can. Behind all this was a sense of natural justice. Hard work bears fruit that measures up to the crucial investment. You get what you give, and balance is restored. Tennis lessons, and the swooping, heedless reality of life outside the court gave this flimsy notion a little more shape. Those tennis classes were just the beginning of what would become a falling out with the virtue of industry. At first it was just a sport that I was barely interested in anyway. And then, I started failing to get work published. I slept through alarm clocks and failed to make it to classes. The growing off-

court expectations of my mom and many others surrounding me were left unmet‒all despite my best efforts. I’d always known that hard work wasn’t something to be taken lightly. So I poured in the hours, and then some. I found ways, decisively, inexplicably, to make the work hard. It seems my mind hadn’t grown much since its days on the tennis court, because I genuinely thought this was going to work. I wanted to land jobs and create compelling stories. I wanted to be excellent, so I fought tooth and nail to get there. I suffered for it, thinking that my blind hard work was the way to earn my stripes. Late nights were spent unnecessarily grinding away on projects that could have been finished by noon. This was the one-way ticket that would entitle me to my dreams. Other times, I was finding myself on the confusing converse. It started with the little things: a test aced despite menial preparation, a haphazard tweet gaining some clout. There were times when success came without the least bit of effort, and it made no sense. Triumph was only supposed to come after the long hours, the blistered feet, the smoked out midnight oil. I kept running into strange luck, and it was more often on the side of others. I started to grow spiteful about other people’s lot in life. I resented the casual success of one classmate, the old money of another, and the way that they ambled on about their days without a care in the world. The bitter cherry on top of all this confusion was Mocha Uson’s appointment as a major public official. This wasn’t by way of luck, and it certainly wasn’t a fruit of hard work. The President had spoken, and what he said was that he owed her. I was being told, rather explicitly, that a little kickback was really all I needed. I had never wanted to slack off as much as I did when I found out that Mocha Uson was going to serve as Assistant Secretary to the Presidential Communications arm of our government. The situation was far from trivial, too heartbreaking to let pass. I had always felt entitled to some form of recompense for giving my all, and this was why I felt upset at seeing others succeed. But Uson’s gratuitous entry into our government was beyond any petty resentment. Unlike that of my friends, it wasn’t a success story that simply moved at a different pace from mine. It wasn’t a story to twist in my favor. Mocha Uson’s seat in the government was an affront to the value of hard work, and to everything else that I held dear: honesty, discourse, decency. There was no way to co-opt her success for my little pity party. It showed me that, more than my own success, there are ills I’m better off concerning myself with.

“This culture of patronism is glazed with virtues that should be forthcoming. Distant cousins become colleagues as a show of loyalty. Friends become cronies for gratitude. It seems there’s room for just about every principle, except merit.”

A reflection on the value of hard work in these turbulent times, and why we still keep at it By CEDRIC S. REYES Illustration by ROSS DU

Mocha Uson’s appointment sits right in the middle of our government’s palm—the same palm that’s out to feed its friends. Padrino remains the alarming truth of our political climate, no matter what the weather of different administrations brings. This culture of patronism is glazed with virtues that should be forthcoming. Distant cousins become colleagues as a show of loyalty. Friends become cronies for gratitude. It seems there’s room for just about every principle, except merit. What of qualifications? What of hardearned merit? And most crucially, what of all the late nights, what of hard work? For all the late hours, the sleep I gave up and everyone else I knew, I was owed squat. The same was true for all the other people that I began to resent. Whether or not we worked hard said little about whether or not we would learn the sport like we’d hoped. Which raises the question: Why work hard? In these trying times more than ever, it takes more than hard work to make it. After factoring in luck, politics, and bad shoes, industriousness should still fit in the equation, but maybe not the same way I had thought, and definitely not as neatly. Success isn’t easy, and whoever figured that out must have been a portly 12-year-old. In such an unstable, self-patronizing playing field, hard work can seem like fool’s gold. I have to proceed with vigor because it’s the one thing I can do. Though slandering tricks remain seated in the hallowed halls of our government, my bitterness just ends up keeping them in place. It disarms me and makes me useless. It allows those in power to isolate power further. As disillusioned as I’ve grown about the efficacy of a few hard hours of work, it remains the only thing I can do. It’s the last resort in a losing battle. There’s no changing the luck of the draw and the rotten pillars of politics. But there’s hope yet for the systems of our country, the country I thought I was ready to give up on. I need to keep at it, or at least pick up where I left off. The tennis shoes are waiting. n

24 fashion

sound rolling KIANA VALENCIANO looks fly in our take on sharp, dapper suits

Photography by PAOLO CRODUA Styling by RYUJI SHIOMITSU

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TOPSHOP suit dress, Glorietta 2 H&M leggings & boots, SM Mega Fashion Hall

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WAREHOUSE polo dress, Robinsons Galleria TOPSHOP slip dress, Glorietta 2

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MIGUEL ORTEGA CERIN suit and trousers, 0917-3287568

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ZARA top, Power Plant Mall, WAREHOUSE trousers, Robinsons Galleria

BENCH shirt, Glorietta 4 KASHIECA dress shirt, TriNoma TOPSHOP trousers, Glorietta 2

Makeup by ELAINE DE SILVA for BYS PHILIPPINES Hair by CHARLIE MANAPAT Stylistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Assistants CARLOS TOMAWIS, ANGEL JOCSON, GAIL MEREIRA, and MJ MOYA

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n k o w e w h We’re throwing a music festival for our third birthday, but how does one even go about putting one together? Illustration by TERENCE EDUARTE

Think up a kick-ass theme

You generally don’t even need to be reminded to do this, as this is what most people will think of first. It’s got to be something creative and engaging, but not overbearing—something people will be game for if they want to be, but also something people can get into with minimal effort if they’re not completely feeling it. For the Scout Music Fest, the theme we’re going for is ’80s Cali. You don’t have to follow it to the letter, but you’ll find that it’s not something you’ll need to go overboard for.

Estimate your budget

The money you’ll need to throw a huge event like this one is important—to make sure that your estimate covers all your requirements. You will need to find sponsors for your event to make things easier (more on that later) but you should also be ready to shell out your own money for the event you’re throwing.

Get the right acts for the party

Real talk: The strength of our Scout parties for the last few years lies almost solely in the acts who have been great enough to play for us every year. Think about it—the lineup is what people go crazy over. This year, our friends are coming back: Autotelic, Jensen and the Flips, Jess Connelly, BP Valenzuela (whom you’ve seen earlier in this issue), Oh! Flamingo, and a lot more. Without the acts in our lineup, we know you wouldn’t really be as hyped for it.

r a t y p

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AFTER THE self-destruction of Fyre Festival, unequivocally the biggest failure of the year so far, we’re starting to wonder if the people behind the event actually knew what they were doing when they wanted an exclusive party in the Bahamas. Because we’re throwing our own for our third birthday—aptly named the Scout Music Fest—on Aug. 5, we asked some event experts about all the important ingredients that go into the recipe of Successfully Throwing a Music Festival. Here’s what they told us.

Come correct with the logistics

Now that you’ve figured out your theme, your lineup, and how much money you’re gonna need, it’s time to put some of your budget where your mouth is. You’re gonna have to make sure you’ve got the right venue, and that all your suppliers for the stage, set, sound system, etc. are the best around—and normally, by this time you should have a network of suppliers you can swear by. “We need to identify which items are crucial for a music fest, like the sound system and production team for a music fest,” shares marketing manager Jellic Tapia. They’re separated from other items on the list that can be taken care of by any supplier with the best rate and quality, so you’re going to have to do a lot of homework for things to go off without a hitch.

Get money (by getting sponsors)

You’re going to need more money to throw a good show, and this is where your sponsors will help you. You can’t just get any random brand willing to sponsor you, though—they still have to be in line with your brand and your party. “Find brands with the same market, age, and interest,” says Jellic. These usually aren’t too hard to find; you may even not have to look around that much for them. But getting them to come on board is usually the tricky part. “It’s not enough that you have the promise that your festival’s gonna be lit and that’s it,” says account executive Charm Banzuelo. “Potential partners have their own objectives in their specific organizations, and they have varying resources too, so it will all boil down to how your offer can meet their needs.”

Link up with partners

You wanna make sure your festival does better and gets more mileage? Inviting partners to be a part of your event, whether it’s your venue partner or your media partners, goes a long way—they don’t have to spend any money on you, you don’t have to spend any money on them, and both parties get benefits from the alliance. It still takes a little finesse to land partners, but not needing to shell out money makes it easier, in theory.

Promote the hell out of your party

While you’re getting your shit together, you also have to remember to start some buzz for your event. And in 2017, putting up flyers and telling your friends about it (both in real life, and in social media) isn’t gonna cut it—you’re gonna have to put up a campaign with all the bells and whistles. That also means figuring out the best approach. “I always go heavy on digital,” shares Jellic. “It’s a hit since we’re now in a digital world. Everybody’s on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. It’s the fastest way to reach people—with just one click, with just one post, you can communicate with your target market. You can get your reach, engagement, impressions right away.” But you also shouldn’t overlook the power of word of mouth, as well. “I’m also a fan of PR—whether it’s through influencers, word of mouth, bloggers, or other media partners,” says brand marketing supervisor Ina Rodriguez. “It’s an effective way to communicate that you’re not the only one interested in your own event. That even the influential people look forward to it and they’re all excited about it.” n

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scout x dls-csb campus tour We were psyched to come back to St. Benilde this year, and we weren’t disappointed

Youngsleepyboi started the afternoon with an eclectic set.

Photos by THE BENILDEAN YEARBOOK

So much was in store for the peeps that dropped by—like their very own Scout “Trust” sweater. Psychadelic lo-fi band Northern Man had some equally trippy visuals.

LAST MAY 17, we had the second leg of our Scout Campus Tour at where else but De La Salle-College of St. Benilde. It had been two years since we last visited, but we were received with the same vibrant energy as last time. This year, we broke away from the fun for a little bit to deliver some knowledge to all of you. We were in an academic institution, right? During our last leg, we brought artists and writers to spread their knowledge. This time, we did more of the same: we invited illustrators Dani Chuatico and Russ Vergara of Vgrafiks to speak on their profession. Dani told her personal story of how she got into the business of doing illustrations and also shared a starter guide for anyone who wants to do the same. We’re big fans of Vgrafiks, and we’re thankful Russ Vergara took the time to deliver a talk on how he got into graphic design, the history of Vgrafiks, and what he’s currently up to right now. Of course, we also gave a talk, which was basically an introduction to what Scout is all about, and also opened the floor to all sorts of questions we received during the event. The one thing that we appreciate the most when we pass by De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde is the energy of the students. Maybe it’s all the cool stuff they’re making there, maybe it’s the pretty interiors of the building. Maybe they just like us and they’re back to their fatigued selves when nothing exciting is going on. But to all the cool kids of CSB, thanks for making the CSB leg of the Scout Campus Tour a success. A big chunk of that success goes to our musical acts for the afternoon: Space Onigiri, Northern Man, y o u n g s l e e p y b o i, J Level, and BP Valenzuela, who capped off the night with a set of songs, old and new. The Scout Campus Tour is presented by Scout in cooperation with Pioneer Mighty Bond, with special thanks to Reef and Oakley. This event was also made possible with the help of Media Max, as well as our media partners Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inquirer Super, Benildean Press Corp, The Benildean Yearbook (Ad Astra), When In Manila, Bandwagon Philippines, and Indie Manila. n

BP Valenzuela ended the night with a set of her old and new tracks.

Russ Vergara shared a number of their video projects to introduce Vgrafiks.

PRESENTS

PERFORMANCES BY:

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WWW.SCOUTMAG.PH

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on the cover 35

THE STAR IN THE STARS After 11 years in the business, a real blockbuster of a film fest entry, constant TV time, and a lot more to come in the latter half of 2017, Julia Barretto’s hitting her best stride—and cheerfully sacrificing sleep By CELENE SAKURAKO Photography by RALPH MENDOZA Styling by JED GREGORIO

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BENCH sweater, top, and skirt, Glorietta 4

on the cover 37

BENCH top, Glorietta 4, BASIC MOVEMENT skirt, basicmovement.ph

Julia Barretto is still in her TV makeup when she arrives at our cover shoot on a gloomy Sunday afternoon during the Independence Day long weekend. Comfortably dressed down in a fitted black tank top, tights, and athletic sandals, she enters the spacious flat in Cubao donning an infectious smile that is a stark contrast to the stormy weather. It’s been a long day, but Julia is unfazed. She courteously greets everyone in the room one by one—and gives makeup artist Lala Flores a big hug—before quickly sitting down to have her hair and makeup done.

38 on the cover

As she chats with the team, she removes her TV makeup to reveal a bare face and fatigued eyes. It’s Sunday. The only day of the week when she’s not taping her teleserye A Love to Last or shooting an unnamed upcoming film with her onscreen partner Joshua Garcia. It’s also the only day of the week that she could have been in bed early; her work schedule for the other six days of the week typically runs from 5 a.m. to 3 a.m. There are countless excuses she could’ve easily used to get some much needed rest, but she didn’t make any. Instead, she’s chosen to come to our shoot, and she even discloses that she’s booked for another shoot after ours. It’s almost impossible not to associate the name “Barretto” with the showbiz dynasty. Anyone who has turned on a television is well aware that 20-year old Julia Barretto is the daughter of actress-turned-politician Marjorie Barretto and actor-comedian Dennis Padilla, and the niece of actress Gretchen Barretto and ’90s teleserye queen Claudine Barretto. There isn’t a single interview with Julia that doesn’t mention the weight of her last name. The name she chose over her father’s stage name, and the one she chose to use despite being born Julia Francesca Barretto Baldivia. And just like everyone who has followed her career, Julia is conscious of the gravity that comes with her name—for better or for worse. Though she averages about two hours of sleep a night, her demeanor during the shoot is unaffected by her demanding schedule. Her 11 years in the industry have trained her to acclimate to the long hours of the career she’s decided to pursue. “It’s fun. I have no complaints. I mean, it gets tiring sometimes, I guess, but when you love what you do, it doesn’t really stop you,” she says. Then there’s the added pressure of living up to her family’s success. It’s something that has become both a curse and a blessing for her. She admits, “I’m tired of being asked all the time, ‘Do you feel any pressure being a Barretto?’” She then adds, “I’m always asked that, and it’s the same answer every time.” “Actually, it’s better now than before,” she admits, when asked if she feels like she is still in her family’s shadow. “I used to be bombarded with so many questions about them (her aunts) and it’s almost like, I thought I was here to be asked questions about myself, not about other people.” Clearly perturbed by the mere mention of her famous last name, she finally perks up when I mention that her Instagram account @juliabarretto is the first result that appears when you search “Barretto” on Google. She’s thoroughly surprised, and she flashes a grin as she exclaims, “That’s a good thing!” Showing a rare glimpse of her unguarded self, she’s still hesitant to admit she may have grown to become the “main Barretto” of her generation.

Julia has been acting since she was nine years old. She uses one particular analogy to describe her life in showbiz, where the scrutiny can take its toll on her: “It’s like living in a fishbowl—being like a fish that everybody is watching over; waiting for you to make a mistake and then feast on it. It’s so hard to commit mistakes, even though it’s so normal to because you’re young and you’re just human.” At one point, when a basketball accidentally hits her head during our courtside shoot, she stays quiet and composed, seemingly unaffected by it and by the fans who seem to follow her while trying to shove their phones in front of her face, asking for pictures. Julia carries on until sundown with the same perky attitude that she possessed at the beginning of the day. It’s when the shoot moves to the bed that I catch a glimpse of an uncontrolled, candid Julia. Her shield slips for a split second when she rests her head on the

sheets. Her big, piercing eyes fight to stay open as she tells herself, “I’m not tired! I’m not sleepy!” We ask her what song we can play to help her stay awake. She picks Ariana Grande’s One Last Time, the same song she performed earlier that day on ASAP. Singing along to the song, she switches back to work mode. As I watch her miming dance moves as she sings along, I can’t help but think that her whole life has become one big show she’s put on for others. Her film career took off last year when she starred in Vince and Kath and James (VKJ). Not only did the film garner accolades—like the Children’s Choice Award at the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival and Most Promising Actress and Actor from the Box Office Entertainment Awards for her and Joshua respectively—it was also the 42nd MMFF’s highest-grossign film.. VKJ was also her first film with ex-Pinoy Big Brother housemate Joshua Garcia, followed by a touching episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya earlier this February. With a new movie by That Thing Called Tadhana director Antoinette Jadaone (Love You to the Stars and Back as of this writing), as well as ASAP on Sundays, and tapings of A Love to Last now added to her plate, Julia is busier than ever. When I see her typing on her phone in between outfit changes and hair and makeup retouching, I ask the inevitable question about her palpable chemistry with Joshua Garcia. She looks up and cheekily remarks, “You’re trying to get something out of me!” She then proceeds to tell me, “We’re just honest about our feelings for each other, and I think that registers on screen.” She continues, “I’m thankful for all the support from fans, and up to this day it’s still very overwhelming. This time last year, I wouldn’t have thought I’d be in the position that I’m standing in right now. I’m so glad that somebody like him came into my life for so many reasons.” The duo, dubbed JoshLia by both the industry and the fans, is on its way to being showbiz’s next “it” love team to join the likes of KathNiel and LizQuen. I ask her what her game plan is with JoshLia. “We don’t have a game plan, we just want to continue being honest. I don’t even think there’s any point in comparing us with other love teams because each love team has their own magic,” she says. “Love teams make a lot of people happy. They make a lot of people believe in love. That’s a good thing; they have a good effect on people, especially the younger generation. Joshua and I are just focusing on what we have and what we’re trying to create with what we’ve built together. I want us to be known as the acting love team.” She mentions their upcoming film, written and directed by Antoinette Jadaone, as fresh, unique, and a “rollercoaster ride.” She’s thrilled about the idea of portraying a character that is out of the box. “I’m playing a girl who believes in aliens,” she explains, hence the

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Fed up of being asked time and time again i she feels pressured fo being a Barretto, she’ finally ready to step ou of the shadow and be he own. When I mention the fact that her Instagram @juliabarretto is the first thing that come up when you Google “Barretto,” she’ thoroughly surprised She just flashes me with a grin and cheerfully on the cover 39

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movie’s title mentioning stars. “Maybe other people will consider me weird for believing in aliens—because I believe in aliens—but that’s my character. You’ll know why when you watch the film, but other than that my look is very unique: everything vintage.” Julia keeps mum about all the other details, but reassures me that it will be a film worth watching. She also mentions that she has other impending projects she’s working on for the rest of the year but tells me she can’t disclose anything about them yet. What she does tell me is that she draws from her own experience for her performances. “Compared to when I was starting out, I think I have a deeper pain,” she says. “I have a deeper understanding of life: about people, about love, and about pain. I’ve become a better and stronger person.” She says that learning to embrace and understand pain has become the key to her success as an actress. “Every painful moment in my life, I take in, and I embrace it,” she says. “So when the time comes to use it, I can go back and re-feel that feeling. And I can do that because I don’t escape from feelings, I endure it.” A technique I imagine a Hollywood actress would go by. Julia casually mentions it like it’s just something she’s learned to do through the years. When I ask her more questions about the scrutiny surrounding her family and its effect on her career, she fights back tears. “I don’t regret anything in my career. There’s no preparation for a life like this, for an industry like this. When you get into this, you just have to toughen up and know how to handle it well, deal with it well.” Recently, her own sister Claudia entered the scene as a singer with her debut single Stay. I ask her what advice she’s given her younger sister. “I’ve told her to stay true to herself,” she shares. “I don’t want her to be manipulated by other people because they want her to be a certain way. I want her to be the person that she wants herself to be. I want her to just be real, be honest with herself.” Julia sheepishly confesses to being a stage sister. There is a certain sense of sorrow in her answer, perhaps because of the implications of her own struggles growing up in the industryshe’s been in since the age of nine. Her sister, who’s now 17, will most likely have to face the same challenges as part of the family legacy.

From what I can surmise about Julia based on my brief encounter with her, she’s truly passionate about what she does, and she’s surprisingly well adjusted and accustomed to the work that comes with it. Her work ethic is perhaps one of the better things to come from her lineage. But, given the weight of her last name,

Clearly, as someone who is itching to come out of her shell, it comes to no surprise to me when she professes that in 10 years, when she’s 30, she’d imagine herself as a mom who owns a day care.

it’s difficult not to question whether her profession is something she’s chosen on her own, or something she’s followed to prolong her family’s dynasty. It’s evident that this is only the beginning and that there’s a part of her still waiting to come out of her shell—a version of Julia Barretto that has yet to be shared with the world. Perhaps her idea of making a name for herself is more than just stepping outside of her family’s shadow. This facet of Julia that we see now may be just a preamble for what awaits her in the future—a future that she envisions will include a stint at a film school in New York (“I have to do that before I die or I can’t die!”). She’s well aware of what her name means to the showbiz industry, but she also knows that being an actress is not something she sees herself doing in the long run—she’s also itching to explore more things in life, like her dreams of being a “normal” film student or owning a daycare. She blurts out the word “normal” like it’s something that’s out of her reach, which it probably is. There’s definitely nothing normal about living life like a “fish a in fishbowl,” formulating pristine answers to probing questions from people who are always doubting her sincerity, and shouldering the weight of the expectations that precedes her. Perhaps in another life—a life after the industry or outside of it— maybe that’s when she can finally make an excuse to get that much needed rest. Maybe then, but not today. n

Makeup by LALA FLORES Hair by JOHN VALLE Special thanks to CAI MAROKET Intern VERA CABANOS

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PAULO TIONGSON AKA POOR TASTEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission in Manila is clear and simple: to make music that counts By NIELLI MARTINEZ Photography by JL JAVIER Styling by LORENZ NAMALATA

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When Paulo Tiongson walks into a room, there’s no chance in hell you won’t notice.

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In true millennial fashion, some Instagram stalking has to be done in order to get a glimpse of Paulo Tiongson’s life. On social media, people know him as Poor Taste: a party-going, Gucci-wearing guy who lives life one adventure (or misadventure) at a time. One look at his carelessly curated mix of photographs and you might assume he’s the proverbial cool guy that’s up to no good. But if you’re ever lucky enough to spend at least 10 minutes of your life with the guy, you’ll quickly realize that the only kind of person he is is the kind that will probably prove you wrong. And in this case, that’s not a bad thing at all. Poor Taste, it turns out, is exactly what his Instagram bio tells you: more than meets the eye. With a name that is both a sarcastic way of implying he has great taste and a subtle way of reminding himself that he spits verses for the kids on the street that have no fighting chance, Poor Taste is a man on a mission. What his photos don’t tell you is that he is a rapper and a music producer who is currently collaborating with local artists such as the currently embattled Curtismith, and of course, his good friend, multimedia star and man-of-the-moment James Reid. As Reid’s music producer, he is heavily involved in his rebranding, insisting that there is no better time than now to change the face—or the sound—of OPM as we know it. “I’m not saying I don’t like OPM as it is; there’s always a place for that,” Paulo says. “But I’m really sick of the system restricting it to be only that. Because no one in the industry is brave enough to take a stand, and [to] like, just put something good out there.” Paulo believes it’s finally time to challenge the way the traditionalist culture has influenced the way Filipinos consume music, and to allow Reid to release material that’s true to his sound and to his vision. “[People here] listen to to Justin Bieber and Drake and Bryson Tiller and The Weeknd—all these things that James Reid actually has always wanted and has always sounded like deep inside,” he continues. “I just helped the boy unlock what was always there.” Standing firm in his convictions, he’s set his sights on a dream and will stop at nothing until he sees it through. Like a kid in a candy store, his eyes light up any time the conversation shifts to matters of music. Citing Kanye West and Jimi Hendrix as his main influences, he looks up to artists whom he believes are deserving of being called precisely that: artists. “I like people that change everything about the world,” he says. “I love people who are really down to say ‘I’m different’ and are unapologetic [about it]. They’re like, ‘I believe in my difference and I believe it represents something bigger than me, and I’m willing to take as many bullets and as many punches as it takes until these people understand [me].” For Paulo, music is much more than just stringing words and melody together, and putting it out there for other people to enjoy. Music is art. Making music is telling your own story and being fearless enough to share it with people that might not understand. “Respect creative people and the world will be a better place. [Kanye] just yells all the time and stuff, but his message is good. And now that people are starting to get it, we’re growing. We’re becoming more cohesive and universal.” At the end of the day, despite all the challenges he is up against, his objective is simple: to make music, and to make it count.

“Paulo Tiongson in Australia might wake up in the morning, catch a one-hour train to the city to go work eight to 12 hours at a retail job, um, you know, selling clothes… being a sales assistant,” he says of his life down under. The more Paulo talks about his life in Australia, the harder it is to believe that he is the same guy called @poor.taste on social media. While days in Melbourne typically end with him heading home after a day of work or him heading out for a beautiful night and a couple of deep conversations, his time in Manila is spent working hard and playing even harder. “I was saying to people in Australia, ‘Yeah, I’m a little bit known in Manila,’ and stuff like that, ’cause I thought, you know, I’ve made a little bit of a name for myself here. I’ve worked a lot, I’ve met a lot of people, et cetera,’” he explains. Spending a day in Paulo Tiongson’s shoes here in Manila means finding yourself hitting the studio—and by studio, I really just mean a room with a laptop and some Bluetooth speakers in the third floor of James Reid’s house—in the morning and working on some “game-changing” tracks, and then spending the rest of the day with fellow creatives either at a photo shoot or a gig. And then, of course, you end the day with your tight-knit crew, partying until the wee hours of the night, almost forgetting that a new work day awaits. Whatever each day’s activities may be, one thing’s for sure: Paulo will always see it as a source of fun and creativity.

COTTON ON cap, shirt, and pants, UP Town Center PROUDRACE jacket, proudrace.com

Stylist’s Assistant DANA BARROZO, Shot on location at MAISEN, SHANGRI-LA at THE FORT

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At this point in his life, Paulo has moved around enough to know that home isn’t about where you are; it’s defined by all the reasons that make you want to stay there. At 22, he has already lived on three different continents, and despite having spent most of his life in the US and in Australia, he still believes that the Philippines is where he should be, at least for the next few years. “This is home. I have something important to do here,” Paulo explains. Although he believes he will eventually find himself back in America to make waves in the music scene, there is an overwhelming sense of meaning and purpose that he gets from being in Manila. The goal, ultimately, is to see the day when local talent is finally recognized on a global scale, and to be one of the people who helped turn this dream into reality. “We gotta go play on the world stage and [we] don’t just have to play, we gotta go win. Not that life’s about winning, but [it’s] about doing your best. We don’t realize how well we can do if we just get our [selves] together,” he adds.

To say that Paulo Tiongson has been there and done that would be an understatement. “I put three and a half years of my life on the line. I dropped out of college, I went against everyone—

my mom, my dad, my friends. [There were] so many people who doubted me, but I went after this dream that might not even materialize,” he shares. The journey that led to where he is now was far from ideal, but he does not regret a second of it. Now with plans of studying again via a cloud campus, a well-thought-out decision that would allow him to study from anywhere in the world while he continues to work on his music, it seems Paulo has everything figured out. When asked if he had a nugget of wisdom he’d want to pass on to the Paulo from 10 years ago, he has this to say: “Just do it. Don’t even quit. I would tell myself, ‘I know you already know this, but you’re gonna do just fine. You’re gonna do something great. Just keep your feet on the ground and don’t ever lose touch with what’s really important.’” But what about all the other young ones out there? What could Paulo Tiongson possibly impart to them? “If you have to ask, you already know. If you’re asking yourself whether you like somebody, whether you want to pursue a certain career, whether you want to make this decision with your clothes, your hair color, your identity, or whatever… You already know,” he says when

asked about the most important thing life has taught him. “If you go to your deepest instincts and your deepest passions, you’re able to achieve things much greater than what you could naturally contrive. So go deep because it will make you and others way happier than you could imagine. Love deeply,” he adds. It looks like they were right after all— this Poor Taste kid is bad news. While he’s busy dropping beats and f-bombs, he’s also challenging so much of what we believe in, and fighting to change so much of what we’re accustomed to. But maybe, just maybe, in a world where people move in patterns and music begins to fade into the background, this daring, devil-may-care disruption is precisely what we need. So could Poor Taste be the next big thing? If you have to ask, you already know. n

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day one ish Three years ago, we arrived, and we brought an EYEDRESS with us By ROMEO MORAN

Yes, Julius Valledor did have to go all the way to London to take photos of Eyedress.

IF SO MANY THINGS can happen in the span of a year, just imagine how much something would change in three. Back in 2014, a young team of editors was tasked to put together a magazine that would cater to millennials, that generation of the youth either still in college, prepping to go to college, or just made it out alive. After a couple of months, Scout finally arrived in July—and on its very first face was a Filipino musician who was both popular and obscure at the same time. Looking back on it now, even if it was something many people didn’t quite understand, there was no better choice than Eyedress for our debut cover. The idea behind Scout when it first began was that it was going to be an outlet for the underdog creatives of our generation fighting from underneath, to reveal a face of the youth that wasn’t quite obvious when you looked anywhere else. Eyedress, a bedroom musician who ironically found his success in a more accepting audience abroad, best represented

that Scout vibe. That’s clear, now more than ever. You may not have known who he was, and you still wouldn’t have when you first saw him on our cover, but the fact that he was good enough to go to London to take he next step in his career was an indication that he was special. That this generation was—is— special in its own unprecedented way, a way that we were all, even ourselves, still coming to realize. Three years later, and a lot of things are no longer the same. I’ve sat through and seen all of the changes myself. Eyedress is back in Manila, still making music. (His latest album “Manila Ice” is on Spotify, if you’d like to check it out.) And as you can see, we’re no longer putting the same kind of people on our covers. Sometimes, you gotta make the changes you never planned to make. One thing hasn’t changed, however: this generation’s still special. Young people are still special, so long as they don’t let the times beat them down completely. n

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