Will Jessica Sanchez make American Idol history?

You can bet your last buck that every Filipino worth their salt will be rooting for a Jessica Sanchez victory over Philip Phillips' in Tuesday's American Idol showdown and not just because she is a half-Pinoy.

A Sanchez win on the Idol stage will be a positive omen for all Filipino women who have had to take a back seat to their male counterparts in the fame stakes which have been dominated so comprehensively by the country's boxing icon Manny Pacquiao. 

But all that can change come Tuesday when the 16-year-old Filipina-Mexican-American chases her defining triumph in the finale to what has arguably been one of the most competitive seasons of the world's most popular musical reality show. 

If she wins, Sanchez will make history, not once, not twice but three times. She will become the first Asian winner of the competition, the youngest ever winner and the first "saved" contestant to win the coveted title.

However, Sanchez, who has wowed Idols fans with well-executed, stylish and powerful renditions of classic songs by Aretha Franklin, Beyonce, Billy Joel, Queen, Mariah Carey and Aerosmith, is not the first Filipina-American to whip up a storm on Idol.

She is just the latest in a long line of chaunteuses that have included Thia Megia (Season 10 finalist), Ramiele Malusay (Season 7 finalist), Jasmine Trias (Season 3 finalist) and Gamile Velasco (Season 3 finalist). 

Interestingly, in a country where singing is the national pastime, no male Filipino singers have ever made the finals of Idol, although no one is complaining. 

The Jessica Sanchez story is not just how a flash-in-the-pan talent came out of the blue. It isn't also your stranger-than-fiction underdog story. It's a lot more than that.

It's a remarkable because it personifies the American (Idol) dream - which considers anything is possible though hard work and determination. And Sanchez has shown ample supplies of both while capturing the hearts of music lovers around the world who see themselves to be like her. 

There are over 3.4 million people of Filipino descent living in the US, while 10.3 per cent of the country's population is made up of Mexicans, so whichever way you look at it, a Sanchez victory on Tuesday will be a victory for those who believe that America is still a place where you can make your dreams come true. 

Don't miss

Catch the finals of American Idol in the UAE on Wednesday, May 23, on OSN First HD and OSN First at 9pm and a repeat telecast on Thursday, May 25, on OSN First HD at 11am and OSN First at 1pm.