THE title of this column article is the Korean word for “hello.” Annyeonghaseyo is the favorite exchange greetings for my wife, my daughter, and our four-year old apo.
Still remember Meteor Garden? It was one of the most widespread and unforgettable Asian dramas shown in the Philippines.
When it was broadcasted on television, most teenagers at the time, including children of people I know, were always excited to get home so that they can continue watching the episodes. Since then, countless Asian dramas have been surfacing, and currently, Korean dramas are one of the most popular in Asia, if not around the world. Many children, teens, and even adults have adored Korean dramas ever since these were first introduced in the Philippines in the 2000s.
Then came the budget hearing of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, wherein Sen. Jinggoy Estrada expressed his inclination to ban K-dramas and other foreign shows in the Philippines as a way to protect local shows. With that idea, it appears then that for our policymakers, a complete ban is the best way to improve Philippine movies/TV shows, rather than thinking of better alternatives or creating good teleseryes and movies. Due to the senator’s comment, netizens glowered and bashed him to no end.
The bashing made the senator revise his statement. As of October 19, it was reported in the papers that Senator Jinggoy Estrada clarified his earlier statement and said that there is no proposal to ban Korean and other foreign-made movies in the country and that his earlier statement was articulated out of frustration over the state of the Philippine entertainment industry.
Filipinos spellbound
K-drama storylines are not easy to guess including the pacing of the plot. The writers are also consistent when it comes to their storytelling. Another reason is that many of these dramas are G-rated, meaning, foul language is a rarity, very few love scenes, and violence is minimal. They contain family-friendly themes that make it easier for people to watch them with their families. Another appeal is their being informative. They allow their audiences to learn as much about their culture and the different social norms.
These dramas contain in them ostensible creativity. Production teams spare no effort in their craft, from the location, set up, sounds, editing, and to cinematography, they make sure that their final product comes out well on screens. Fashion in K-dramas has definite trend appeal that’s why Filipinos are influenced by the Korean fashion style, including their hairstyles. But most of all, K-dramas create emotional connections with the viewers. The characters are developed in such a way that the viewers can relate to them and feels the same emotion. The cliffhanger endings leave them squirming till the next episode and the tension is built up skillfully.
To ban or not to ban
My wife and my daughter follow K-drama. My son who works abroad paid for them the subscription of K-movies. They like it very much. I don’t follow any K-drama but I’ve randomly watched a few and I’ve noticed the differences when compared to our local telenovelas. The biggest question however is – should they be banned? Considering that audiences find them more appealing than our tearjerkers and slapstick sitcoms?
I don’t think we should. They serve their purpose. What we Filipinos need to do is to improve our telenovelas so that Filipino viewers will patronize our own. We shouldn’t kill competition, instead, compete with K-Drama. But how? A few suggestions:
• Improve the quality of the TV shows by being daring with the plots. We should start avoiding trashy and repetitive topics such as taking revenge, mistresses, and characters who never die (unless the character is immortal). An example of a good plot is GMA’s Amaya. While the show was expensive to produce, it served a tourism function as it showcased the country’s innate splendor. It was filmed on location across various outdoor settings from Bulacan to Batangas to Zambales to Pangasinan. The well-researched epicserye was also inspired by elements of Philippine culture like ancient Filipino beliefs, the pre-colonial political system, languages, and costumes;
• Encourage filmmakers and artists to innovate and level up (ex. showing sports enthusiasm or climate change advocacy);
• Telenovelas should be regulated by the KBP or LTRCB thru the control of syndication in television programming. Major networks should not primarily focus on money-making ventures but prioritize high-quality acting performers and storylines that could give the audience entertainment without draining their intelligence;
• Government should push for the establishment of Art Colleges to promote good-quality acting;
• TV networks must ban discrimination against non-mestizo actors/actresses because most often the actors who do not have mestizo features are better performers than the “cute/pa-cute” popular actors. They should give importance to the veterans as they are more experienced than the younger actors.
Everything is not about ratings. Major networks should be more focused on the benefits that a TV show can bring to society rather than on the profits of becoming the best network.
