Charles Teves
The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) plans to look into an event concerning Stephen Speaks, a pop rock group from America, as there are allegations that a road enforcer got bribed to let the band off a traffic violation.
The MMDA released a statement on Saturday, stating that they will investigate whether the traffic enforcer is part of their organization.
The acoustic pop-rock group Stephen Speaks had an experience in Manila that might be familiar to any celebrity.
According to a Facebook post by the band, their Grab driver was stopped by a traffic enforcer for a violation but was released in exchange for a favor.
“Our Grab (like Uber) driver just got pulled in Manila over for running a red light, and my tour crew bribed him with a selfie with me to let us go. He said he sings Passenger Seat at the karaoke bar,” it wrote.
“I was like…. I can’t believe that actually worked.”
“The agency will coordinate with [the] Land Transportation Office to look further into the possible suspension of licenses of those involved, especially those who escaped apprehension because of influence,” the MMDA said.
The band then apologized.
“Hi everyone. Thanks for reaching out but we’re moving on from this. We did not mean anything by this. It was just a poor choice of words on our part. It was done in jest that resulted in this. We apologize to all who have been bothered by this seeming disregard for authority. Rest assured, we respect all the authorities in the Philippines. We will learn from this. Once more, my sincerest apologies,” it wrote on Faceebook.
Rockwell Ryan Ripperger, the lead singer-songwriter of the acoustic pop rock band Stephen Speaks, has returned to the Philippines for a series of shows and performances. He regards the Philippines as his “home away from home.”
It has been 20 years since Stephen Speaks’ debut album “No More Doubt,” which included the popular songs “Passenger Seat” and “Out of My League,” achieved platinum status in the Philippines.
During that time, Ripperger reminisced that while Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” was dominating the global music charts, their song “Passenger Seat” was reigning supreme in the Philippines, only to be later replaced by “Out of My League” in a local radio station.
Stephen Speaks will release a vinyl record exclusively in the Philippines in October 2023 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their debut album going platinum in the country. The vinyl will include Rockwell’s favorite songs and some B-side tracks that he believes deserve attention.
The two probably mentioned popular songs will be part of the vinyl record, and Rockwell’s most challenging song, “World Peace Party,” will be included.
Ripperger recently gave an exclusive interview with Philstar.com, where he discussed his strong connection with the Philippines and the evolution of love songs. He shared that this was his fifth visit to the country and his first since the pandemic began. He expressed his excitement to be back in the Philippines, which he considers his favorite country to visit.
“I love the [family-oriented] culture here, it’s very nice and fun people. Everytime I come here I fall in love a bit more,” said the singer-songwriter.
Rockwell of @StephenSpeaks gives his own definition for the term “situationship” and his advice for anyone who may find themselves one: “Give it time, be patient, and don’t live in fear.” @PhilstarShowbiz @PhilstarNews pic.twitter.com/OW6PQv6BAF
— Kristofer Purnell (@kjpurneII) February 11, 2023
Ripperger expressed uncertainty about why his music has remained popular in the Philippines, given that 60% of his 250 million streams come from the country, while the remaining 40% is distributed among 200 other countries.
“I got 55 million streams last year! Stephen Speaks is more popular now than it has ever been,” Rockwell added.
Ripperger enjoys doing spontaneous performances in random places without prior notice, which he refers to as “stage-crashing.” He shared an experience in a bar in Iloilo, and people did not recognize him until he played “Passenger Seat.”
“It goes back to my motive of playing music to begin with — never to become famous or make money, it was to connect with people,” shared Rockwell. “So for me, [it is] being aware of the connections that are made, seeing it on people’s faces.”
