Why Robin Padilla's Rebuke on Korean Jiwan Kim's PGT Audition Is Logical

In the telecast of talent search/ reality show Pilpinas Got Talent Season 6, one of the judges, Robin Padilla, reproached a Korean magician/illusionist Jiwan for not speaking Tagalog in the franchised reality show. There were mixed reactions among the netizens and mostly commented on how rude Padilla was to the Korean.

During the audition, Padilla told the Korean that he will not participate in the magic act unless Kim speaks in Tagalog because the show is called Pilipinas Got Talent. Later on, the reproaching judge relayed to Kim his apology and his reasons why he reproached him. Padilla even gave him a “yes” approval for the audition.

In spite of Robin’s rudeness in this situation, he does have a point. As he said, the show is called Pilipinas Got Talent. It showcases the talents Filipino can show to the whole world. The show is done  n Tagalog because most of the masses can understand Tagalog than English. I remember having a classmate from the provinces who’s taking a Master’s degree but still cannot pronounce and spell my name right.

Mr. Kim does not look like he should be there. Not only he is a foreigner, the show is not Korea’s Got Talent. So the show is not limited to Filipinos only. From what Kim said, he was already here for ten years and he even had a Pinay girlfriend which is ironic. By now, he should know how to speak Filipino phrases. A couple of foreign celebrities based here like Sam Oh and Ryan Bang are good examples of Koreans who already know how to speak Tagalog.

Robin also cites an example that whenever a Filipino goes abroad, he or she must learn the language of the country because not all can speak English even if it’s one of the global languages. This is true. I know a former OFW during the Gulf crisis who knows how to speak Arabic. Most of the
missionaries also learn the language of the country they are going to. A good example is the Mormon missionaries. You will be surprised that they can converse in Tagalog just as well as we do.

Part of the training of the missionaries going to another country or another region is to understand their culture and language. Our OFWs and even tourist should make the same adjustments because being an OFW or tourist is not an excuse for not learning the basic words of another country.

Despite the manner of reproaching, Robin Padilla is known for his tough image. That is why many guys idolize him. But he did deliver a good point to Jiwan Kim. Kim should be glad he was still allowed to join Pilipinas Got Talent despite being a foreigner. But the important thing is we all learn a valuable insight from Robin Padilla.