Sheryn Regis
Don’t neglect us.”
This was the plea of singer Sheryn Regis to the government on behalf of other Filipino musicians who have lost their jobs as a result of the country’s ongoing battle with the pandemic.
“I feel bad about what’s happening. The music industry isn’t just made up of crowd-drawers like us. The ones who are really affected are those who perform in gigs in clubs and bars, or those who get hired for events. They are those who will tell you, ‘I love music. It’s the only thing I know I’m good at,’” explained Sheryn, who recently spoke with the media to promote her single, “Tulad ng Dati.”
Sheryn said that while she understood that event venues needed to close down in order to prevent COVID-19 from spreading, she pointed out that something must be done to help this particular sector of society.
Helping out
“I just wish we’d get a fair treatment,” she stressed. “I also hope that this pandemic will end soon so that we can all go back to normal. This has really affected us so much, not just physically and financially, but also mentally.”
For her part, Sheryn tried to help her colleagues by participating in benefit shows. She has been doing this since she came back in 2020 after living in the United States for 10 years.
“Also, I share with them my diamonds in Kumu (the Filipino-created video sharing platform),” Sheryn added. “It feels good that I am able to spread love in my own little way.”
Speaking about what it was like to live in the US at the time of the pandemic, Sheryn said she also felt bad about having to experience anti-Asian racism there. In one incident, when she went to visit her teenage daughter there in December 2020, Sheryn said she got stopped by a Customs official because she looked “very Asian.”
“It’s also one of the reasons I chose not to live there anymore. At the Customs area, they stopped me to ask if I came from China. That was so sad. People there say the Chinese made the virus,” Sheryn explained.
Stop Asian hate“I fear for our kababayans there who are at risk of becoming victims of anti-Asian hate, especially those in California. A lot of Asian Americans get beaten up. I pray this doesn’t happen to my family and close friends there,” she added. “I pray for this to finally stop. As an Asian American who lived there, I also feel hurt.”
She further said: “Asian Americans there should be united. I heard that there are a lot of things happening, not just in the US but also in Canada. I’m really praying for everybody to be mentally well, for everybody to take time to really understand what this virus is and its overall effect.” INQ