Growing up as a Filipino kid in America, I never found much representation of my ethnicity in video games, TV shows or movies. Today, while it may not be perfect, there have been slight signs of progress over the years.
1. "Orange is the New Black"
Nah, there's no Filipino prisoner. But the Philippines is mentioned in season four by Judy, a character who reminds me a great deal of Paula Deen. During a cooking demonstration, she starts making cornbread Filipino-style. She even says she got the recipe from a coconut farmer in Manila. Kinda cute I guess.
But even more so, here's a fun fact: Uzo Aduba, the actress playing Suzanne, released a video speaking in Filipino. Cool, right?
2. "Jessica Jones"
This is a great show, I think my favorite of the Marvel ones. In one episode of this Netflix series, Jeri Hogarth, the steely-eyed lawyer played by Carrie-Anne Moss, tells the titular character, "I have a Filipino woman who will walk all over your back." Yup!
3. "The Sims"
A very cute game for anyone who's interested! It's pretty much a life simulator, starring humans called Sims who speak the language that's naturally called Simlish. What might sound like gibberish actually contains many languages, one of which is Tagalog, a language spoken in the Philippines. Kinda cool I think!
4. "How to Get Away with Murder"
Shonda Rhimes has a hand in many shows these days, one of which is "How to Get Away with Murder," a show about a law professor, her students, and their growing love for stretching the legal system. One of the students, Connor, seduces an IT guy, Oliver, to get information and then subsequently starts a relationship with him. Oliver is played by Conrad Ricamora, a Filipino man. So LGBTQ and Filipino! Have to give them points for diversity.
5. "Fate/Zero"
This one's probably more obscure. It's an anime on Netflix, if anyone's interested. In a flashback episode, we take a trip to an island in the Philippines! It's a nice and tropical paradise in this anime, that is until the protagonist's father's research sends the populace into a bloodthirsty frenzy. What's more, the island becomes occupied by magic-wielding forces for extra trouble. Have to give props for at least taking place in the Philippines though!
6. "Pacific Rim"
In continuing the theme of devastation, "Pacific Rim" features Manilla as a site attacked by a Kaiju named Hundun! It rampages in the city until meeting an end by a nuclear strike.
7. "Godzilla" (2014)
Yes, another Kaiju film. The movie's starting scenes are in the Philippines (and filmed in Hawaii)! An appropriate place.
