Chito Miranda and Pokwang. Image: Instagram/@chitomirandajr, @itspokwang27
Chito Miranda and Pokwang were among the celebrities who weighed in on the idea of banning foreign shows, particularly Korean dramas, after Sen. Jinggoy Estrada floated the idea in a recent Senate hearing.
Estrada made his comments on K-dramas during the hearing of the 2023 budget of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), when he said it had crossed his mind to have foreign-made films and TV shows banned in the Philippines to possibly boost shows by Filipinos.
Miranda disagreed with this proposal as he pointed the “lack of support” for local shows and artists, in his Twitter page yesterday, Oct. 19.
“Targeting foreign shows or acts is not the solution for the lack of support towards local shows and artists. Coming up with better shows and [songs is],” he said. “As artists, kelangan lang natin galingan mas lalo para sabay tayo sa foreign acts. ‘Earn’ the support. Di pwedeng sapilitan.”
(As artists, we need to work harder so we can compete with foreign acts. “Earn” the support. We cannot force [viewers].)
Targeting foreign shows or acts is not the solution for the lack of support towards local shows and artists.
Coming up with better shows and songs, is.
As artists, kelangan lang natin galingan mas lalo para sabay tayo sa foreign acts.
"Earn" the support. Di pwedeng sapilitan.
— Chito Miranda (@chitomirandajr) October 19, 2022
Meanwhile, Pokwang acknowledged that the intention behind Estrada’s idea is good. However, she spoke against banning Korean shows as well, as seen in her Twitter post, also yesterday.
“Maganda naman po ang inyong hangarin senador na mabigyan [kaming] mga local artists ng trabaho, salamat po… pero imbes na i-ban ang mga Koreanobela, gayahin natin sila na suportado ng gobyerno ang bawat proyekto nila at ang buong industriya nila,” she told Estrada.
(Senator, you have good intentions for wanting to give us local artists jobs, thank you… but instead of banning Korean shows, let us imitate the way their government supports each of their projects and the entire industry.)
maganda naman po ang inyong hangarin senador na mabigyan kming mga local artists ng trabaho,salamat po…pero imbes na i ban ang mga koreanobela gayahin natin sila na suportado ng gobyerno ang bawat proyekto nila at ang buong industriya nila 🙏🏼 #kungpwedelangnaman
— marietta subong (@pokwang27) October 19, 2022
Another TV personality who also talked about the issue was GMA writer Suzette Doctolero. Like Pokwang, she also highlighted the impact of government support on Korean shows, as seen in her Twitter page yesterday.
“Hindi need ban! Dapat ang [government] mag-invest sa local TV/movie [industry]. ‘Yung excellence na na-achieved ng Korea, nangyari kasi may full [government] support!” she said. “Iisa ang kumpas — promote Korea [through] culture: K-pop, series, fashion, food etc all over the world. So multi-billion industry na nila.”
(We do not need a ban. The government should invest in the local TV/movie industry instead. The excellence achieved by Korea happened because they had full government support. They had one goal: promote Korea through culture: K-pop, series, fashion, food, etc. all over the world. So they now have a multi-billion industry.)
In response to the proposed ban, FDCP chair Tirso Cruz III said one of the agency’s primary programs is focusing on creation and promotion of local films. Meanwhile, Sen. Robinhood Padilla proposed imposing higher taxes on foreign productions to help pool funds for the local film industry.
Estrada has since backpedaled on his comments about a ban on foreign-made shows, clarifying that his statement does not mean he is against K-dramas. He explained that he only wished Filipino would show support for local movies the same way they do with Korean productions. /ra
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