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| Bekimon poses for a picture during our interview in a mall at Quezon City |
Wearing red top and black denim, Persia decently sips a Starbucks grandé-sized caramel frappe beside a relaxing view of an artificial pond in a famous mall in North Edsa, Quezon City while pressing his fingers into his laptop. With headphones plugged into his ears, one can easily recognize the gay who coined the word Bekimon and brought it into fame.
From video to stardom
Persia’s fame accidentally flourished in May 2010. While having a bonding with his friend, they suddenly came up with an idea of recording a video using gay lingo. “It was just a ‘trip’,” Bekimon says. But after a month, his friend called him and asked if he can upload the video in YouTube.
“I really forgot that we have recorded a video like that. But sometime in June, my friend called me and said: ‘Upload ko na yung chenilin [video] ha’.”
At first he was reluctant to allow his friend to upload his video in YouTube. But after having second thoughts, he ended up letting his friend to post the video online.
And from that simple video, Bekimon was born.Derived from the words “Beki” meaning gay and “Mon” from Jejemon, it is a term for a person (whether a gay, female or male) who speaks “hardcore” gay lingo.
The Bekimon video, which continues to hit over two million views in YouTube, brought a swift change in the life of Persia. People began to recognize him until he was able to catch the attention of the media starting with GMA 7.
His first appearance in television was an interview with Michael Fajatin of “24 Oras,” "Saksi, "and "News on Q" that all aired on the same day of August 06.
These appearances were then followed by a series of guesting in Full Time Moms of QTV Channel 11, Sapul in TV 5, Loveni Mister Love ni Misis in GMA, and Umagang kay Ganda in ABS-CBN.
From these television guesting, he me this manager Chris Cahilig, who is also manages radio personalities like Nicole Hyala,Chris Tsuper of 90.7 Love Radio.
Despite of his sudden popularity, Persia said that he still feels like an ordinary person. “I still feel normal. But until now, I cannot believe that some people would stop walking just to take photos with me whenever they see me around.”
In fact, during our interview, he was interrupted several times by the people who keep on looking at him as they pass along the coffee shop where the interview is being done.
He also added that his loved ones, most especially his family is very happy the way things go in his life.
“Even my relatives abroad are very proud of me,” he said.
Theroots of inspiration
Persia grew up in a poor family in the well-known province of Puerto Galera. His mother, Cecille Persia, 42, earns for their living as a laundrywoman while his father, Ruel Persia, 45, is merely a househusband. He has an 18-year old sister who is a Hotel and Restaurant Management graduate.
As a way of coping up with his family’scondition, Persia strived hard to finish his studies. He took his elementary and high school education in Puerto Galera Academy where he reaped honors and recognitions as Valedictorian.
He decided to attend his college education in Manila and took up Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication, major in journalism at the Centro Escolar University (CEU).
“Writing is my first love,” Persia said.“Because expressing yourself in writing is priceless.”
But after two years, he shifted his major to Broadcast Communication. It was his friends who recommended him totake up broadcasting because it suits more to his talkative personality.
Being naturally intelligent, hecontinued to excel both in his academics and extra-curricular activities. He was a university scholar in his four-year stay in CEU and a consistent president of their class.
Apart from being a student achiever, he is also a lover of arts such as dancing and acting. In fact, he became the vice president of the CEU Dramatic Club and gained a Best Actor Award.
In the end, all his hard works bearfruit as he graduated Cum Laude in March 2007.
But in seven years of being away from home, Persia said that he still keeps tight relationship with his family.
His mother, who is the closest person tohis heart, was his biggest inspiration.
“My mother is my best friend. She knows everything about me – what I feel and even my whereabouts. Like today, she knows that I am here in Starbucks, North Edsa.”
He added that it until now, it was his mother who wakes him up in the morning through cell phone calls.
But when it comes to his sexuality, his father tends to be silent. “He doesn’t expressed opposition,” he said. But unlike other father who has gay sons, Persia’s father neither laid a hand on him nor forced him to change his sexuality.
He confessed that maybe the reason behind his transformation from having a man’s heart to a woman’s heart is the female domination in his family.
“I want to prove them that even thoughI’m gay my life is in the right direction, and I could still help my family,”he stressed.
A Destined Career
Just after two months of graduating from college, Persia immediately acquired a job at Victorio modeling agency, one of the leading modeling agency in the Philippines located at Ortigas, Pasig City as an office manager. He stayed in the company only for a year.
He then tried to apply as a writer in ABSCBN and GMA Network but decided to work at Convergys Call Center Agency.
From a call center agent, he shifted in establishing a photography studio which offers digital photography portfolios with his friend as his business partner. But one day, his friend screwed him up (which he did not tell the reason for confidentiality) that resulted to closing down their studio’s operations.
He then decided to return to the call center industry until he was discovered as Bekimon.
Theother side of “Bekimon”
In his videos, Persia showed the lighterside of his life. But when he is not facing his camera to record his videos,you will find him as someone who values friendship and family relationships.
“I’m sensitive with friendship. I easilyget upset when I encounter misunderstandings with my loved ones,” he said.
According to Persia, his strength lies on being responsible on the choices that he make. “I hold myself responsible with what happens,” he said.
But when asked about his weaknesses, he said that the word “weakness” itself has a negative impression on him. “Weakness is a negative word for me.Because when you think of negative feeling they’ll get into you.”
How about cross dressing? Unlike othergays, Persia prefers to wear simple top and denims as his fashion statement. Putting a little blush on in his face is enough for him. “Wala kong arte sa katawan,” he said. He recalled that during his childhood, he tried to wear women clothes out of curiosity but decided to stop because he felt awkward on them.
On the other hand, Persia, being asource of laughter to others, finds his own happiness with simple things.
“Seeing my Mom, my family and havinggood friends to be exact makes me happy.”
There was this time when a bed-ridden man, who happened to watch his video in YouTube, sent a message to him saying that his videos brought inspiration to him. This incident according to Persia justifies the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.”
As he narrated the story, a glow ofhappiness and gratitude lighted up his pinkish face.
Different from his Bekimon image, Persiawanted to be remembered as “a responsible person, a good friend, and a goodson.”
Upholdingthe responsible use of Bekimon
Amid the success of Jejemon as the Salitang Taon (Word of the Year) in this year's Sawikaan 2010 organized by theFilipinas Institute of Translation Inc. (FIT) last July 29 to 30 at theUniversity of the Philippines, Persia said that he does not expect Bekimon tobe the same too.
“I would like to tell or reiterate thatI uphold the responsible use of gay lingo especially in formal communication,”he stressed.
That is why during our interview, Persiaaddressed us in a formal conversation with the use of English and Filipino language rather than in Bekimon.
He added that using Bekimon is apersonal preference. “As long as you are comfortable with the language you are using, whether it is Filipino, English, Jejemon or Bekimon then its fine.”
When it comes to discriminations about Bekimon, Persia said that he does not pay attention to the so-called “BekiBusters” or the persons who are against the use of Bekimon. He mentionedthat someone even accused him of degrading the quality of Filipino language.
“Deadma lang sa discriminations. Because when you give attention to them they willjust rant more,” he said. “I cannot please everybody; I am just here to givepleasure to others by my videos.”
Persia also said that he was surprisedto hear a lot of females speaking Bekimon. “I thought only gays speak Bekimon.It was really surprising to my part that females also converse in thislanguage.”
With regards to the future of Bekimon, he said, “It [Bekimon] will always be around as long as gay people are there. It just so happen that I came out and popularized the word ‘Bekimon.’”
The new career path
On October 25, Persia will have his first major comedy-serye in ABSCBN entitled, Monita Banana with Bianca Manalo as oneof his co-stars. He is currently busy with his tapings and side by side TV
guesting.
When asked about his future plans, Persia said that he wanted to put up an entertainment bar so that he can also give opportunities to talented performers.
“Showbizness is not a permanent job. I wanted to be financially stable and to do something that is worthwhile – and that is having my own business,” he said.
As of now, Persia has 2,540 followers in his twitter account and and more than 2,000 fans in his Bekimon Facebook Fan Page. HisYouTube account on the other hand, is home to over 100 Bekimon videos. The conceptsof his videos, according to Persia are not planned. They are simply ideas that suddenly pops up into his mind.
For his parting words, we asked him togive us a Bekimon sentence and he wrote: “Witititko knowsline na gandara park akembang!” [meaning: Hindi ko alam na maganda pala ako!]. -M
***This was a collab article with my classmate and friend, Bea Hermano, and was originally submitted as a requirement for our Features Writing subject dated October 6, 2010.
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