Jake Zyrus goes to the Emmy Awards

Charice Pempengco, now known as Jake Zyrus, has a life that is the stuff of blockbuster stories. She did well in her singing career, singing in the TV shows of Ellen Degeneres and Oprah Winfrey. Starmaker David Foster put her under his wing and coached her. She even appeared as Sunshine Corazon in “Glee.”

Hollywood stardom was at hand. But inside, she was unhappy because she knew that they wanted something else. Struggle lies at the core of her story and, in the end, she kept victory in the palm of her hand.

After winning in the United States International Film and Video Festival earlier this year, Jake’s life story in “Jake and Charice” has now been nominated in the 2020 International Emmy Awards. The documentary is up for an Emmy win under the Arts Programming category. The documentary premiered in Japan in November 2019, where it brought home the Gold Camera award. The controversial work tells the story of Zyrus’s new life after transitioning from Charice Pempengco into a transgender man, or a transman.

“Jake and Charice” will be going up against “Refavela” of Brazil’s HBO Brasil/Conspiração, “Vertige de la Chute (Ressaca)” of France’s Babel Doc/France Televisions and “Why Do We Dance?” of the United Kingdom’s Sky Arts Production Hub.

“Congratulations to all the nominees! We are especially proud to recognize and honor the world’s best storytellers, producers and performers,” Bruce Paisner, president and CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, said.

“At a time of crisis where most of us have to stay home most of the time, television entertains us and provides a window on our world,” he added.

“Jake and Charice,” produced by Japan’s national broadcasting organization NHK in cooperation with ABS-CBN, enters the list representing Japan. This year’s International Emmy Awards has 44 nominees across 11 categories and 20 countries.

Zyrus has a huge following in Japan and this is not Zyrus’ first time to work with Japanese filmmakers. He previously appeared as Akira in the movie “Yaru Onna” (“She’s a Killer”) back in 2018. Winners for the International Emmy will be announced on Nov. 23 at a ceremony produced in New York City.

The documentary springs from the book, “I Am Jake,” that he published with Anvil two years ago and is still selling well in the bookstores. The book details how the young Charice Pempengco was allegedly physically abused by her mother, Raquel Pempengco. The mother has denied all allegations.

Chapter 2 of the book is entilted “Mommy Dearest.” In stark details, the singer narrated the suffering she endured since she was a child. Ironically, she was the family’s breadwinner and her mother’s violent temper could only be allegedly assuaged if she won in another contest and brought home a cash prize. Jake even has a tattoo of his mother’s name on his arm.

In the first lines of the chapter, Jake said: “Here’s the sad truth: I don’t know my own mother.” Without mincing any words, he narrated how dysfunctional his family has become. According to him, Raquel has three other siblings, but only his mother quarreled with his grandmother, Tess Relucio. Allegedly, Tess would hurt her four children in front of the grandchildren. The grandmother’s word was law, such that even his grandfather could not control her when her temper ran foul.

Because of this, Raquel flew the coop along with her two children, Charice and Carl. And thus, the work of bringing home food on the table fell on the shoulders of the young Charice. She joined many contests and sang her heart out, but deep within, she realized that her mother’s violent streak came from her grandmother.

She said: “When Mommy left Lola’s home, their similarities started to manifest: the bad temper, the need to win every argument and, eventually, the tendency to hurt their kids.” Raquel’s sibling disciplined their kids by pinching them and pulling their hair. But Raquel allegedly beat her up with shoes, belt and broom.

Jake recalled, the words as if writ on blackest water: “Mommy often hit me on the head with her high heels. This is the reason why my scalp is covered with scars that have formed bumps and valleys on my head. My mother is an evil queen…”

But he doesn’t hate his mother to the core. “I can’t bring myself to totally hate my mother because despite her darkness, there is some light in her. Her good side needs certain conditions to come out, though.”

Moreover, when Jake became more open about his sexual orientation, he caught his mother using other social media accounts to bash her. That is why she considers her mother “my secret antagonist.” The maltreatment she allegedly suffered at the hands of her mother even became the subject of a television show.

The Aug. 26, 2017 episode of the ABS-CBN drama anthology “Maalaala Mo Kaya” is  based on the narratives of Jake. Parenthetically, we have to give props to ABS-CBN for the jiu-jitsu move that allowed it to air free TV shows again when it signed a block-timer agreement with Zoe TV. So the controversial station will start airing some of its shows tomorrow in A2Z TV station.

The revelations of Jake form the heart of the prize-winning documentary that just might sweep the International Emmy Awards. If it does, it will be sweet revenge for Charice-turned-Jake. Charice was the first Asian artist to have a single in the Top Ten of Billboard. She was supported by Oprah Winfrey and Ellen Degeneres, and was coached by the great David Foster. Big-name Hollywood stars sat at her feet when she sang, reaching those very high notes seemingly with no effort.

But like the Little Mermaid in the Disney story, she lost her voice to be able to find himself. And therein lies his happiness.

Email: [email protected]. Website www.dantonremoto.com. Penguin Random House has just published his novel “Riverrun.”