NAME :
SUBJECT:
MIDTERM
TESSA F. RACOMA
ANH
REACTION PAPER
SEN. JINGGOY ESTRADA'S COMMENT ABOUT KOREA DRAMA AND THE
EFFECT TO LOCAL PH TV DRAMA AND FILMS)
I.
INTRODUCTION & SUMMARY
Recently, former actor Senator Jinggoy Estrada proposed during the
Senate hearing on the 2023 budget of the Film Development Council of
the Philippines (FDCP) the banning of K-Dramas to divert support to local
shows which draw the ire of those who are patronizing shows from Korea.
In his clarification of his statement, he proposed it because Filipino
actors are losing audience because of Korean fandom. According to him,
less viewer of Pinoy-made shows mean less income for Pinoy actors. He
added that South Korea’s phenomenal success is rooted in their love of
country and it is “high time to follow their example and do the same for our
own (Filipino) entertainment industry”.
This was backed up by FDCP Chairman Tirso Cruz III, another Filipino
actor.
One netizen, Raul Ylanan commented that he is not watching K-Drama
because it is Filipino but because of stories that Filipinos enjoy, production
value, craft and creativity.
Other netizens like Cedrick Morallo Quitana suggested that instead of
banning Korean shoes, local film industry must be supported to improve
the quality of TV shows, series and movies. Another joked, “if you cannot
beat them, ban them.Some who seem to dislike drama agree with the
banning except for K-suspense/ zombies/ action shows. Others suggested
that incentivizing and monetary support to Filipino creatives will make the
latter competitive in the international arena.
There are those who mentioned a new Filipino TV-series, Maria Clara
At Ibarra as a Filipino show they like alongside Korean dramas, while
others suggest that those that should be banned are shows with bad
script, endless stories of infidelity (kabitan), nonstop spanking, “imortal na
pulis, walang aral na napupulot, at puro loveteam loveteam na lang”.
II.
OPINION
Due to my hectic schedule, I myself could not watch many Filipino or
Korean series, but I did try watching one Korean drama during the
pandemic. It happened that the theme of the series was about infidelity,
and was also adapted by a Filipino series. The difference is instead of
violent physical reactions to the paramour like the usual Pinoy “sampalan”,
it has a play with intellectual words. It was not dull or dumb, like most
Filipino teleseryes nowadays.
Honestly, I like Korean drama a bit because of the good looking actors.
Also, I like them for bravery. The social media aided in informing the public
that these heavenly looking faces did not hesitate to be enlisted for their
nation’s army, which puts any Pinoy, especially the not-so-good looking
ones to shame, as they lambasted the government on the topic of bringing
back ROTC in schools.
I agree with Sen. Jinggoy that Korean shows have rooted with a strong
sense of nationalism. K-drama has shown to the world their national
costumes, native customs, which might be a factor why many Pinoys are
starting to love Filipino-period drama like Maria Clara at Ibarra with its
great storyline, old Filipino tone of conversation, accurate Spanish era
costumes and extensive research.
III.
CONCLUSION
It seems that Filipino audiences are getting more intelligent and are
now fed up with the usual content in the shows. Filipinos want something
fresh, creative, not overacting, and mind-boosting.