Alex Martinez 'Home Was Always My Motivation'

CEBU, Philippines -  Then Filipino Alexander Martinez joined the reality contest "Poland's Got Talent," one thing got him going all the way to the finals—home.

For 13 years, he was working day in, day out as an entertainer in this foreign land that has a very small Asian—more so Filipino—population. But even if he would work the whole night in different bars, it was still not enough to buy a plane ticket for home.

"My earnings were never enough, and I really missed my family in the Philippines. I wanted to come home. This was my motivation, and with the support of my wife, I joined Poland's Got Talent," Alex, who hails from Cebu, told The FREEMAN last Tuesday.

This backstory captured the imagination of judges and audiences of Poland's version of the widely-popular reality show that has spun off global franchises, including the Philippines.

Still, according to his Polish wife Zanet, they had their apprehensions.

The biggest one was that his skin color might turn off the viewers. "To be honest, there are not many brown-skinned people in Poland," shared Zanet. While the show drew foreign contenders who are already based in Poland, still Alex was the only Asian who made the cut. "Naturally, we were thinking Polish people would vote someone of their own," Zanet added.

But Alex would wow viewers in episode after episode with his ex-factor—a versatile vocal range that could even interpret songs like "Time To Say Goodbye," which was originally performed by female artist Sarah Brightman.

So, from the thousands of candidates who auditioned, they were whittled down to 100, then 10, then before they knew it, Alex already made it to the final three.

The night before the finals, however, Alex was running a high fever. Doctors grew concerned as they tended to him. What pulled Alex through was the experience that he had seen days much worse. For Alex, who also worked all over Middle East as an entertainer before settling in Poland, withdrawing from the competition was out of the question.

He chose to perform an opera number entitled “The Final Countdown” and floored the jury made up of Polish actress Malgorzata Foremniak, rock star Agnieszka Chylinska, and controversial showman Kuba Wojewodzki, who showered his breathtaking rendition with superlatives and praises.

"More than his talent, they told me that it was his good attitude that endeared him to the Polish audiences. It really shone through," his proud wife, Zanet, said.

While the total votes failed to catapult Alex to the top spot—it went to a 27-year-old accordionist—he still received 5,000 Euro and an answered prayer. A travel agency sponsored the plane tickets to the Philippines for him, his wife and 10-year-old daughter, Vanessa.

When an emotional Alex finally set foot in Cebu last week after 13 long years, he confessed that it no longer looked like the Cebu that he left, feeling a bit like a stranger in his own homeland and saying he has missed so much, indeed. But once surrounded by family and friends in his old neighborhood in Minglanilla down south, wherein he once served as a barangay tanod, it was home sweet home all over again.

"I really wanted to show and introduce my wife and daughter to my family here, to where I grew up, to my former church choir, ang Voices Choir...," said Alex.

He met his wife when he worked in a bar situated on a floor above the supermarket wherein Zanet was employed. Love developed when Zanet, who was the only one among the employees who knew English, was always instructed by the owner of both the bar and the supermarket to communicate with Alex, who spoke no Polish then.  

"I love it here, I love the people, I love his family, the place...everything," gushed Zanet.

His homecoming also included a visit to his former alma mater, the University of the Visayas, wherein as a college student he was a member of the campus choir, UV Chorale. Asked to give some words of advice to the young singers, Alex said, "I just don't like singing, but I love singing. If you love something, success will come out of it."

As of presstime, Alex has already returned to Poland to fulfill concert commitments, one of which will be held at the capital in Warsaw. During the interview, he happily noted that what he earns for an hour now is equivalent to what he used to get from an entire night of performances. He has already guested in several TV shows, and is more or less treated like a star, as he attracts crowds in trips to the mall, and gets requests for photographs and autographs.

His wife also revealed that many recording companies have already expressed interest in signing him up, including Sony and Universal Records, and are simply waiting for his return. Should he be given the choice and chance to embark a musical career in the Philippines, however, Alex said that, of course, he would rather make it big here in his home country.