BALITANG ENTERTAINMENT: Filipino-American singer 'Sofronio Parojinog Vasquez' makes history as the new Season 26 winner of NBC's The Voice in America [#OnlyOnOneNETnews] (updated as final!!!)
(Written by Scott Denoga / News Intern of Disney XD News)
UTICA, NEW YORK -- In a historic win Tuesday night, a Filipino-American from the Mohawk Valley in 'Utica, New York' named 'Mr. Sofronio Parojinog Vasquez' has recently taken home the top prize overnight in the 26th season finale of "The Voice" in the United States of America (U.S.A.). According to reports from WKTV-TV's NBC NewsChannel 2: Utica, his road to stardom is truly rags to riches.
Today, at the age of 32 in November this year, Vasquez was born and raised first in 'Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental'. Before coming to America, where he settled in the New York state around two (2) years ago in 2022, roughly after his cruise ship trip, he had very humble beginnings in the Philippines. He had lived once in a poor household that did not have a bed or indoor plumbing. But in fact, he used to sing a lot with his father, whom he considers his coach. He never thought he was as musically inclined as his friends and family. In this said country, where he is studying for his dental boards, he gave music a chance in full swing. At present, his musical inspirations include Bruno Gene Mars and the late-Michael Joseph Jackson delivering powerful performances all across America.
Vasquez began his early life career at Ozamiz City National High School (OCNHS), wherein he started as a campus journalist at age 16 in 2008. Afterwards, he graduated with a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Misamis University (MU) in 2015. Preparations for his dental boards prior to or after June 2018, had made the life of Vasquez sad, due to the demise of his father 'Mr. Oniol Racaza Vasquez Sr.' because of the complications of Kidney Failure. This loss motivated him to be on a stage and to sing with much larger audiences in the international scene.
Before, the segment of "Tawag ng Tanghalan" showcased several performances of songs that were from start to finish without the shortcuts. He first auditioned at the popular Philippine noontime show of ABS-CBN (now Kapamilya Channel) "It's Showtime" in the early mid-November 2017 in the TNT segment. He has sung several songs, some of which include "Wildflower" by Skylark, "I (Who Have Nothing)" by Benjamin Earl King, and "Let It Be" by the Beatles. In his past decade of losses, he did not win, but he gained a fresh consolation prize of PHP320,000 (or US$D5,487).
While in late mid-December 2019, Vasquez also returned once more in "Tawag ng Tanghalan: All-Star Grand Resbak", just months before the global outbreak of Coronavirus Disease-19 (CoViD-19) in 'Wuhan, China'. The talent he had shown was seen in his rendition of Freddie Pascual Aguilar's "Bulag, Pipi at Bingi" and 'Barbra Joan Streisand' as she rendered "The Way We Were", in its Philippine rendition by the late 'Mr. Rico de Jesus Puno'. He ended the season with the performance of "My Grown-Up Christmas List" by Amy Lee Grant. He won the cash prize of PHP175,000 (or around U$D3,001), but did not win the Grand Championship, despite facing numerous rejections in singing competitions in the Philippines, but was actually claimed that he was redirected to one another, until referring to be audition alone in America. Still, these experiences, even if they were not victories, are what made his musical journey.
After his defeat, the veteran Filipino singer-songwriter and mentor of 'Tawag ng Tanghalan' named Rey Guardiano Valera spoke out to a losing contestant with public advice to Vasquez: "You are your best friend. Ikaw ang mentor mo, sarili mo. Ikaw na rin 'yung cheering squad mo at the same time. At kung hindi ka man ngitian ng [Lady Luck] ngayon, I'm sure dahil 'yon sa alam niya na ikaw ang gagawa ng sarili mong swerte at hindi mo siya kailangan. Because 'yung ganyang klaseng tao, you will always find your way", Valera stated on him in Tagalog dialect.
Fast-forward to this late final 4th quarter, or Q4 of 2024… Vasquez auditioned for "The Voice" in the United States of America (U.S.A.), two (2) years after he migrated from 'Ozamiz City' in the Philippines and during the said outbreak of CoViD-19 global pandemic, where he secured a 4-chair turn in the Blind Auditions with his rendition of "I'm Goin' Down" by Ms. Mary Jane Blige. He selected the Canadian singer 'Michael Steven Bublé' as his mentor, and he continued further on with The Battles, Knockouts, Playoffs and Final rounds for a few more months of this season.
In the Final rounds Monday night (December 9th), Vasquez sang "Unstoppable" by Sia Isobelle Furler, "A Million Dreams" from the motion picture soundtrack of "The Greatest Showman" by Ziv Zaifman, Hugh Michael Jackman and Michelle Ingrid Williams; and the following night with 2-hour episode finale, a duet with Bublé performed "Who's Lovin' You" by The Miracles. These were all performances that showed he was versatile, and had so much emotional depth, thereby making him a finalist individual.
Vasquez's victory is important as he becomes the first Asian-American to win "The Voice" here in the USA. Just days before the Grand Finale this week, Filipino showbiz reporter 'MJ Felipe' of ABS-CBN News spoke to a Canadian team coach 'Michael Steven Bublé', said in part from an interview as he quoted: "What made me very emotional was just seeing, you know, like I realize that it's not just the Philippines. I realize that, if [Vasquez] wins, it will be the first Asian-American to ever win this kind of singing competition in America", he said. Vasquez's mother on the other hand "Ms. Aida Parojinog Vasquez" expressed her gratitude saying in Cebuano dialect: "Kabalo gyud ka lang na proud ka ini imo, love gyud na kanako. Magyagaw imug so-on si [Vasquez], hasa pan duha ka iro [dog] lang manyagit guyd para nimo. Daghang kaay ninalipay kay niminalang. Basta, kabalo ka ana", Aida added.
On December 10th (Tuesday night), a report from DXBK-FM 95.3mhz's Brigada News FM: Oroquieta and WKTV-TV's NBC NewsChannel 2: Utica reported that 'Mr. Carson Jones Daly', host announcer of 'The Voice' said Vasquez was the sole winner of Season 26. This victory marked a historic moment as Vasquez became the first Asian-American to win the competition. Personally, it's close to my heart because, as an intern for Disney XD News, I was informed from Disney Television Animation (DTVA) that they have just cancelled my American cartoon show "Hailey's On It!", from my home state in 'Oceanside, California'. Being South Korean-Filipino-American, I recognize how much this win really means to fans all around the world, especially in the Philippines.
Coming in 2nd are the runners-up that comprises 'Shye Roberts' of Pennsylvania state ranked 2nd, 'Sydney Sterlace' of New York state ranked 3rd, 'Danny Joseph' of 'London, United Kingdom' ranked 4th and 'Jeremy Beloate' of Tennessee state ranked last in 5th place. In theory, all of them were sent home with nothing.
Some people on social media are saying that 'Sofronio Vasquez' is a mix of Chinese, Indonesian, Malaysian and Thai. However, these claims about his mixed Asian heritage don't hold or are being messed up. In fact, Vasquez is purely and solely Filipino-American, and he just recently shifted to a new abode in New York, based on the sources exclusively revealed to us at Disney XD News.
Vasquez became the champion of "The Voice" Season 26, taking home a cash prize of U$D100,000 (or approximately PHP5.831M), and a lucrative record deal with Republic Records, handled by Universal Music Group (UMG). But shockingly, there is a catch. Financial news outlet 'NerdWallet' highlights that he has to deal with various tax obligations, including New York state taxes ranging from 4% to 10.9%, an additional income tax of U$D4,271 (or PHP248,955), and potential Philippine taxes of around 20% on his winnings. Consequently, his gross earnings could be brought down to around U$D89,985.26 (or PHP5,245,331) after all the taxes taken into his American and Philippine bank accounts to be deposited there like 'M&T Bank' and 'GoTyme Bank' for example.
Most probably, 6% from his grand prize will be deducted in withholding tax from Vasquez. Still, it is nothing compared to how much his win is culturally and emotionally important for him. For its part, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) usually does not report, as silently stated from NBC News, and thus cover such tax liabilities either as they have their own singing competition. Thus, the above taxes may be for account of Sofronio Vasquez, which include the state tax in New York, plus the 20% withholding tax by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) when he later returned in the Philippines, provided the earnings is over PHP10,000 (or U$D172).
He might have enjoyed success in the music world, but he could not evade the harshest online bashing by some angry and extremely toxic users of social media, which yet, concerning to promote violent extremism, grave threats and attacking the management of a noontime show of "It's Showtime", prior receiving the negative comments. Sam Marbella Mangubat, who is a Batangueño first runner up of 'Tawag ng Tanghalan' and former residence in Laguna slammed those who critically spoiled its said singing competition show due to the unfairness of the result: "Hindi ko magets, bakit binabatikos yung mga show na pinanggalingan? Tapos na yon eh. Baka di niyo alam, may text votes na factor din ang [kanyang] show. Magaling na siya noon, opo. Pero kita naman sa performances niya na mas seasoned na siya sa ganitong oras. At malamang, proud sa kaniya ang lahat, maging ang [It's Showtime], dahil isa to sa kinabilangan niyang show", stated Mangubat. Most of them, as stated by 'PhilNews' are connected to his past losses in TNT. That would also make the controversy bigger as he had family ties to the infamous Parojinog clan in Ozamiz City, which may have been involved in the police raid in 2017, and had also been implicated in the country's corruption and the drug war.
'Parojinog' is the middle name of a nephew of the late former Ozamiz City Mayor named Mr. Reynaldo "Aldong" Parojinog Sr. He had his nephew, who is roughly a drug trader that got killed during the national war against drugs under the party name 'National Unity Party' (NUP) in Misamis Occidental. Under the previous administration, led by former Philippine president 'Rodrigo Roa Duterte', he ordered thru Ozamiz police to kill all of the members of the Parojinog family without discrimination if they have the same middle or last name, and if they are suspected to be involved in committing drug or corruption offenses. In contrast, Vasquez has consistently distanced himself from these brazenly disturbing and graphical issues, focusing on his singing and dentistry while aiming for a positive and clean lifestyle.
Apart from that, the singing competition franchise called 'The Voice', the kids version was compared similarly as a former ABS-CBN home after Season 5, now turned to 'GMA Network' under this new partnership with 'ITV Studios' to hold the 6th Season of 'The Voice Kids: Philippines'. The grand finals in the kids version draws to a close by Sunday night on December 15th.
As Utica celebrates its hometown hero, Vasquez remains grounded. Utica City Mayor named 'Mr. Michael P. Galime' hailed him as a role model for the immigrant community and commented on his personal social statement post on Facebook: "I can't begin to express how excited I am for you. You worked hard, followed your dream, and made it happen. You are a role model for all, especially our immigrant population. I can't think of a better person to represent Utica than you, Sofronio Vasquez. Thank you", Mayor Galime concluded.
Vasquez' story has captured the world's attention. He even gave a hint that he might visit the Philippines before early 2025 as he emerged from his migrated home in Utica. In a Zoom Workplace video call interview on Thursday afternoon (December 12th), during the said Philippine noontime show "It's Showtime", he thanked his supporters and wished to inspire others with his journey: "Hindi pwedeng talunin yung lakas, sipag at pananampalataya ng isang Pilipino, kasi talaga kahit saan namamayag. Nagpa-promise po ako kay Sir [Michael Steven Bublé] na kapag umuwi po ako ang talent sa It's Showtime, yung una mai-bisitahan dito soon [sa Maynila]", concluded Vasquez in Tagalog dialect.
Sofronio Parojinog Vasquez's story rises in his home country to triumph on an international music stage. Rejection only applies for improvement and not giving up much. He was simply redirected and finding ways to make it better on him. This victory for 'The Voice' marks a personal milestone for him, but it is also an inspiration for all dreamers out there, as it goes on to prove that perseverance and talent can get over the odds. Relive the most outstanding moments or binge-ing to catch Season 26 of 'The Voice', streaming all over now or on-demand to purchase via NBC Peacock, NBC's website, Sling TV, Hulu and Apple TV+.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO COURTESY: Trae Patton via NBC News
BACKGROUND PROVIDED BY: Tegna
LENGHTY SOURCE LINKS: https://pastebin.com/raw/z7uBP2z8
-- OneNETnews Online Publication Team
MINOR CORRECTION: He was redirected to another singing competition, not rejecting him for Vasquez. We properly corrected them for immediate clarification from our editorial team.
