Another imaginative lady who has taken an appreciated initiative during this pandemic is student-idol Faith Shanrae A. Santiago, who adapted a unique approach to help keep students and her fans engaged during this period of home quarantine.
Santiago is a graduated member of the local idol group MNL48, a franchise of the wildly popular AKB48 group in Japan. She has garnered a total of five consecutive appearances in the group’s singles, which are available on major streaming platforms and physical CDs. Santiago continues to promote as a local independent idol.
Santiago and others follow the aidoru system of Japan, wherein they are considered entertainers who sing and dance primarily pop music to the general public. Idol culture is widely admired in countries such as Japan and South Korea, where these performers are regarded as role models and inspiration by fans and the general public.
Meanwhile, during the quarantine, Santiago encourages the community through her movement #YourOwnTake, to contribute their art and writing pieces to be published online on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, under her handle @faithshanrae.
“It’s a small project,” she admitted. “But I hope this mission creates a ripple of change.”
Each week, Santiago comes up with an art or prose challenge which are then cascaded to her leagues of followers on social media.
“I prepared these tasks to uplift the spirits of the youth in quarantine. Since a lot are in their homes, we can use that time to hone our skills,” she stated.
“These talents, in turn, may be utilized to create art that sends a message to the public and especially to those who need our support the most—our frontliners. We can likewise use our art to accumulate help for who are most at need,” she continued.
Today, Santiago continues to perform in conventions and affairs while she balances her studies as a multimedia arts student at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB).
Looking forward, the 3rd OtaCute Cosplay Festival, a massive gathering of Japanese music enthusiasts at the Laperal YOU.suites in Manila, which has been postponed to a later date, will host Santiago as she plans to perform a duet with De La Salle University Manila alumni Ashley Cloud Garcia (@ashley31garcia), along with jpop girls performance unit Seishun Kakumei (@seishunkakumei) and newly-debuted cosplay idol group AIDreamin!(@aidreamin)
