Readings in Philippine History

(GERPH01X)

Final Interim Assessment

Biography of a Prominent Filipino

(Jake Zyrus)

Submitted by

BSTM211B

Castillo, Stefania Dian T.

Geronimo, Christhian Jhoseph G.

Saturno, Justin Adrian M.

2nd Term A.Y. 2021-2022

I. Definition of the Topic/Introduction

Jake Zyrus has constantly struggled with how he identified himself, even before his

career in the music industry took off. He opened up about his past as Charice Pempengco and

the pain he experienced with hiding his gender identity prior to coming out as a transgender

male. He outlined how his confusion affected his mental health and the time that he hit rock

bottom, when his struggles pushed him to attempt to take his own life. He also came to a

realization where his seeking for approval of his fans, David Foster and Oprah Winfrey also

caused him to hinder himself from coming out for who he really is. As a trans man, Jake Zyrus

has also encountered issues that a lot of the LGBTQ community have experienced or are

currently experiencing and that is the discrimination towards transgender people when using

public toilets. He stated that him using the women's restroom tend to make women feel

uncomfortable, when he is in fact abiding by the law since he is biologically a woman.

II. Context/Brief Summary

Jake Zyrus was born in Cabuyao, Philippines on May 10, 1992 as Charice Pempengco

prior to his gender transition. When he was three years old, he saw his abusive father point a

gun at his mother during a domestic violence incident. They left their father in search of a

better life, along with his mother and younger brother Carl.

Jake Zyrus was very young when his mother discovered his potential to be a singer, after

he sang Happy Birthday at a very high pitch and on-key. At the age of seven, he urged his mom

to teach him how to sing and entered an amateur contest to earn money and provide for his

family.
 He said that he had participated in an estimated 80-100 singing contests all in all. In

September 2005, he joined "Little Big Star", a singing competition for children on the

television network ABS-CBN, and he won 3rd place. That’s when the public started to

recognize him.

Charice Pempengco competing at

“Little Big Star”

In December 2007, Jake flew to the United States with his mother, Racquel Pempengco,

to perform Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" and the "Dreamgirls'" hit "And I'm

Telling You" in front of an appreciative studio audience. Ellen gave him his first taste of fame

in front of an American audience. After that, Jake was invited by entertainment icon Oprah

Winfrey to perform on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" for its May 12, 2008 episode titled

"World's Smartest Kids". Jake Zyrus also joined Celine Dion onstage at Madison Square

Garden on September 15, 2009. People praised Dion for allowing him to shine as they

performed Dion's number 1 single "Because You Loved Me," which drew raves from some

New York newspapers.

 Charice Pempengco at the Charice Pempengco at the Charice Pempengco singing
Ellen DeGeneres Show Oprah Winfrey Show with Celine Dion at
Madison Square Garden

Jake's international career was boosted when he appeared on various international

television programs, such as the UK's hit television show "The Paul O'Grady Show" on April

8, 2008. In November 2008, Jake performed on America's top-rating morning show, "Good

Morning America," to promote David Foster's new CD-DVD, "Hitman: David Foster &

Friends". On May 11, 2010, a day after her 18th birthday, she promoted the album's second

single "Pyramid" on Oprah's show, which was ranked first on the Billboard Dance chart. His

album sales propelled him to the #8 spot on the US Billboard Hot 200 chart in its first week,

making him the first Asian artist in history to do so. Jake also landed a recurring guest role on

the hit TV show Glee in June 2010, playing Sunshine Corazon, a Filipino foreign exchange

student to rival actress Lea Michele's character, Rachel Berry.

Charice Pempengco and Charice’s second single Lea Michele as Rachel Berry &
David Foster at Good “Pyramid” Charice Pempengco as Sunshine
Morning America Cruz on Glee
 In June 2, 2013, Jake came out as a lesbian. In an interview with Oprah, he stated that his

"soul is male”. However, he is not interested in gender transition surgery. He first came out as

a lesbian because transgender identities are frequently misinterpreted as sexual identities in the

Philippines. Then, on June 20, 2017, he revealed on Instagram and Twitter that he was a

transgender. He even changed his social media handles to “Jake Zyrus” and began using the

pronoun "he" to reflect his new stage name. His life has been surreal since coming out as

transgender. A simple name change turned into a flurry of articles about his identity.

Unfortunately, some of her family members did not share his enthusiasm. The revelations drew

negative attention from the Filipino community media as well. Fear of such backlash was what

kept him from fully embracing his identity sooner. But now, by continuously being himself,

he brings hope and inspiration to others who are going through the same journey. His bravery

taught people how to keep going and believe in themselves even with all the hardships in life.

Jake Zyrus’ coming out tweet Jake Zyrus’ latest update on

his Instagram

III. Conclusion

In conclusion, coming out as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community is a very difficult

decision to make, because of the struggles you have to face. Even after all of his achievements,

many people have invalidated Jake Zyrus and been disappointed after he came out as a

transgender. Jake Zyrus knows that not everyone agrees with his decision, but he felt free.
 He stayed confident and true to himself in spite of the negativity he received from the

people around him, especially his family. Instead of giving up, he used these approaches to

make himself strong and still stand among the crowd. Now, as he navigates a foggy journey

while reconciling the future with his accomplished past, he is slowly but steadily opening up

to the world. While continuing to make new music, Jake Zyrus has embarked on a new mission,

which is to raise awareness about being a transgender man in the public eye and to provide

insight into his continuous transitioning process.

IV. Recommendation

A. Be Who You Want to Be

Jake Zyrus’ story has been an inspiration to many people, especially the

LGBTQIA+ community. Despite the fact that he has been greatly discriminated against

by his own country, he chose to move forward and show the world that it is never wrong

to express yourself and to be proud of who you are. We all may have diverse beliefs,

but that does not give us the right to discriminate against others when they are simply

just trying to be themselves. It is something we humans don’t even have to feel bad

about. His story teaches us courage, bravery, and self-acceptance. These qualities are

what this generation struggles with the most, and his message will be of help to many

people who are currently having a hard time staying true to themselves just because

people would have a lot to say about it.

V. References

A. Primary Sources

Charice Pempengco competing at “Little Big Star” (September 2005) -

https://images.app.goo.gl/eBYa1qhNL2uPwkur8

Charice Pempengco at the Ellen DeGeneres show (December 2007) -

https://images.app.goo.gl/UdzJS2zu5XLbUpwf8

Charice Pempengco at the Oprah Winfrey Show (May 12, 2008) –

https://images.app.goo.gl/uSk56yDPsmXbZwPo6

Charice Pempengco and David Foster at Good Morning America (November 2008) -

https://images.app.goo.gl/JcvXspDxfbJfN21QA

Charice’s second single “Pyramid” (May 11, 2010) -

https://images.app.goo.gl/1b3CdDh2FW2JEEXt5

Lea Michele as Rachel Berry & Charice Pempengco as Sunshine Cruz on Glee (June

2010) - https://images.app.goo.gl/oxQqZiUZ2Ny76Fnh6

Charice Pempengco singing with Celine Dion at Madison Square Garden (September

15,2009) - https://images.app.goo.gl/VU2cZEughvyoBxXt7

Jake Zyrus’ coming out tweet (June 20, 2017) - @jakezyrus/ Twitter.

https://twitter.com/jakezyrus?lang=en

Jake Zyrus’ latest update on his Instagram (February 19, 2022) -

@jakezyrusmusic/Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/jakezyrusmusic/
B. Secondary Sources

Buen-Deveza, R. (2010, September 24). Top 10 defining moments in Charice's

career. https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/09/24/10/top-10-defining-

moments-charices-

career#:~:text=It%20was%20in%202005%20when,Barbarona%20and%20champ

%20Sam%20Concepcion.

Cruz, D. (2021, July 1). Jake Zyrus recalls struggles, pain as Charice Pempengco: ‘I

didn’t want to sound ungrateful.’ INQUIRER.Net.

https://entertainment.inquirer.net/414411/jake-zyrus-recalls-struggles-pain-as-

charice-pempengco-i-didnt-want-to-sound-ungrateful

Henderson, T. (2019, March 9). Jake Zyrus, Formerly Known as Charice, Comes Out

as Transgender. Pride. https://www.pride.com/comingout/2017/6/21/jake-zyrus-

-known-charice-comes-out-transgender

Moniuszko, S. U. M. T. (2017, July 19). Jake Zyrus reveals details of his transgender

journey, changing his name from Charice. USA TODAY.

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2017/07/19/jake-zyrus-talks-

changing-his-name-charice-his-transgender-journey/478590001/

Mutsoli, V. (2021, September 13). Charice Pempengco (Jake Zyrus): gender

transition, partner, latest updates. Tuko.Co.Ke - Kenya News.

https://www.tuko.co.ke/425014-charice-pempengco-jake-zyrus-gender-

transition-partner-latest-updates.html