She’s Everyone with lots of humor Edson C. Tandoc Jr. Philippine Daily Inquirer
July 05, 2009
MANILA, Philippines—She is a God-fearing government fixer, a fortune-telling Sto. Nińo, and a domestic helper on a plane sitting beside another OFW who looks suspiciously like Jose Rizal.
She is you and me and everyone in between. She is Juana Change. And just like the Filipino she represents, she wants genuine change.
She communicates her serious message by making people laugh and reflect: What the hell has gone wrong in this country?
Juana Change, played by 46-year-old theater actress and video producer Mae Paner, is a character who rose to cyber stardom through her political satires uploaded on the free video sharing site, YouTube.
“Our goal is to encourage people to act, to get involved and to stand up for our country. We want people to realize that we all have a responsibility,” Paner says.
According to its website (http://juanachange.org), a group of creative artists, advocates, activists and communicators who call themselves The Convergence Team, developed Juana Change and filmed short “virals” of vignettes that depict what we have become as Filipinos.
The group now goes by the name Artists Revolution and includes members such as TV commercial director Sockie Fernandez, independent film producer Raymund Lee and musician Jim Paredes.
50,000 hits and counting
Ten videos have been uploaded so far and most of them are pegged on the political scandals rocking the country, hoping to awaken people from apathy.
Paner uploaded the first video in December 2008. She was surprised when the video reached some 20,000 views in just a matter of days. Since then, other YouTube users copied her videos and re-posted them in their accounts. Two of the videos from one of the several accounts uploading Juana Change videos have recorded 50,000 views.
One video on Charter Change has Juana Change and a sexy DI (dance instructor) dancing and explaining the intricacies of the Cha-cha.
A Christmas video lists the 12 scandals of the Arroyo administration to the tune of “Twelve Days of Christmas.”
Another video also shows an overseas Filipino worker lamenting that everyone in the country depends on OFWs, “from my children to the President.”
Well done, witty
The videos are technically well done and the dialogues are witty. They have become so popular, Juana Change has become a favorite performer in numerous voter education concerts, anti-administration protests and even in a few elite family gatherings.
Paner is a theater actress, a director of television commercials and the president of post-production company Click. Her best friend, Rody Vera, an award-winning writer, writes the scripts for Juana Change.
“We felt it is our responsibility to use our art for social transformation,” Paner says.
Birth pains
Juana Change was born in February 2008. Her father could very well be Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada Jr., the whistle-blower who accused President Arroyo’s husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, and former elections Chair Benjamin Abalos Sr. of being behind an anomalous national broadband network contract awarded to Chinese company ZTE.
Lozada’s revelations bothered Paner. Nothing much has changed since she was jailed as a student activist more than 20 years ago. Frustrated, she started to cry and ended up producing a dramatic music video of the national anthem.
She met with friends: “We told ourselves we have to do something. We decided to start with what we were good at.”
So they made videos.
Don’t romanticize
“We wanted people to check themselves,” Paner says. “We want them to ask: ‘Why is this country in turmoil? What have I done? What have I not done?’”
The group thought of a character to represent the different sectors of society: Those who have given up on change (Wa na Change, translated means no change) and those who are willing to fight for change (Wanna Change), which gave Juana Change her name.
“We don’t romanticize change,” Paner says. “Change is difficult, but we want to show people that the secret to a meaningful change is commitment.”
Powerful tool
The group realized that airing the videos on television was costly. So why not upload them on YouTube?
However, Juana Change needed to stand out among the thousands of videos uploaded every day. Then why not inject humor?
“Humor is a very powerful tool,” Paner says. “We wanted videos that will make you laugh and think at the same time.”
The group conceptualized narratives where Paner could play most of the roles especially since hiring actors and crew members required funds.
Juana donate?
A three-minute video would typically cost P300,000. Thanks to friends who volunteered to work for free, the 10 Juana Change videos produced so far cost only P50,000 each.
The funding came from the members’ own pockets and from donations.
Paner admits that the advocacy has created a “major dent on my economics.”
She used to direct commercials for politicians but after embracing Juana Change, she has refused lucrative offers.
Overwhelming
The overwhelming response to Juana Change from Filipinos locally and abroad has proven that Paner is on the right track.
Students have started inviting Juana Change to speak in their schools. The group is committed to produce 20 more videos before the 2010 elections.
The advocacy, however, has forced Paner to look at her own “excesses.”
She says she used to weigh 265 pounds, heavier than two sacks of rice.
“I am like a politician,” Paner says, raising an arm, pinching her jiggly flesh. “I also have many excesses in my life.”
Personal advocacy
Her national advocacy has led her to a personal advocacy of keeping healthy by losing weight.
She is committed to giving Juana Change not only a better country, but also a healthier body.
