What do telenovelas that dominate primetime TV convey about the values of Filipinos today?

June Deoferio, Cavite: It values our Filipino tradition and culture with excellent acting and represents the life of the typical Filipino.

Diony Yap, Bacolod City: Values? What values when all the family members stay glued to their seats, leaving the kitchen chores a virtual adherent to mañana habits.

A good antidote to Filipino boredom

Alexander Raquepo, Ilocos Sur: It tells us that Filipino entertainment is here to stay and telenovelas are a good antidote to Filipino boredom.

Johann Lucas, Quezon City: It’s a favorite pastime of Filipinos and it’s also an antidote to our boredom from the antics of politicians.

Manuel Abejero, Pangasinan: If religion is the opium of the mind, then telenovelas are its palliative. They help to lessen tension and stress, kill time and lessen production output, but they have no curative effect. They numb the mind as if in a state of comatose, like a rudderless ship where the engine is running but getting nowhere. Ban them.

Escapism

Rey Onate, Palayan City: I see it more as fantasy; it’s a good medium to forget for some moments the harsh realities of life but do not convey anything about our values.

Ronali dela Cruz, Metro Manila: We Filipinos use escapism to deal with our problems instead of looking for solutions. We become passive as we wallow in the negativity of our soaps.

Dennis Acop, Baguio City: It conveys that Filipinos are a happy lot despite their economic deprivations. I am not sure if I wish to connect this penchant for TV viewing to values. I really find nothing wrong with watching telenovelas. Everybody does. Even people from other countries do. Psychologically, it’s probably even good that our masses watch telenovelas. At least, the people have an outlet for their frustrations. They get to be what they cannot be in real life. It distracts them from pursuing more unproductive and violent endeavors like joining the communist or Muslim rebellions. As Fr. Reuter keeps writing, the Filipinos’ childlike simplemindedness is why God loves us so much.

Ed Alawi, Davao City: Telenovelas do not reflect Filipino values. It’s fiction for housewives and helpers to fantasize and break the monotony of house chores.

C.B. Fundales, Bulacan: It conveys distorted values by giving prominence to fantasy over reality, worsened by the networks’ dedication to profit-oriented programming.

Jim Veneracion, Naga City: Telenovelas convey all that is petty and unproductive in our society. They must impart reality in human experience to become credible to viewers.

Vindictiveness and hatred

Jimmy Donton, Puerto Princesa City: Telenovelas promote vindictiveness and hatred. Producers of these telenovelas should understand the sensitivity of Filipinos and should work hard to help develop positive values such as hard work, patience and commitment to strive for success. Giant networks like Channel 2 and 7 should help build a strong republic which can only happen if Filipino families are empowered to face the challenges of life in a cruel world.

Ricardo Tolentino, Laoag City: Negative Filipino values like broken homes, backstabbing and infidelity dominate stories in telenovelas. This is understandable because bad stories sell.

Not inclined to watch those

Manny Cordeta, Marikina City: Can’t say much about telenovelas’ conveying values of present-day Filipinos for the simple reason that I’m not hooked on those, i.e., watching them religiously with much anticipation or anxiety. It so happens that I’m a sports enthusiast and I’d rather have my eyes glued watching my favorite team in the NBA (Lakers), more especially now that the playoffs have just begun.

Leandro Tolentino, Batangas City: Sorry, but l only watch the nightly news reports during primetime TV. I just hope that true Filipino values are conveyed in those telenovelas.

Elpidio Que, Vigan City: I’d rather watch Bubble Gang to have a good laugh and ogle at the bodies and legs of Diana, Francine and Maureen. Sub-plots in the telenovelas shown in TV primetime are mostly lifted from popular US soap operas like “Sin and the City” and “Desperate Housewives.” The titles alone connote corruption and decadence.

Overly sentimental, emotional

Cris Rivera, Rizal: Telenovelas for me are tearjerkers and not amusing. But Congress teleseryes, i.e. wrangling, is different. It’s informative and educational.

Aldo Apostol, Quezon City: They’re sentimental and emotional. We should develop pure Filipino telenovelas, and not copy Hispanic or other foreign plots.

J.R. Mondonedo Jr., Parañaque City: The only values viewers learn is to become too sensitive and feeling “inaapi” sila palagi. They tie themselves to the characters in the shows that’s why when one watches a Pinoy telenovela, puro iyakan lang which I find not healthy.

Ignacio Anacta, Metro Manila: Telenovelas are mostly a fight between good and evil º spiced with romance, drama, suspense and comedy. It’s a pure attempt to entertain after a hard day’s work. Unfortunately, too much exposure to melodramatic themes makes many Filipinos emotional and gradually diminishing in rationality.

Joe Nacilla, Las Piñas City: During our househelpers’ rest time, their favorite TV show are the telenovelas. I noticed that it is usually about sad or sentimental stories of the past.

A waste of time

L.C. Fiel, Quezon City: Telenovelas, with their stupidly improbable plots, have kept viewers glued to their TV sets. This only shows how wasting time has become a national sport.

Romeo Caubat, Masbate: Sorry, I don’t watch telenovelas. It’s a waste of time and makes me dull and stupid.

Eufrocino Linsangan, Isabela: Sorry but I see watching telenovela as a waste of time. It offers no positive effect. Next question, please.

C.B. Manalastas, Manila: I’ve no time to view those telenovelas. Besides, imported ones are a waste of dollars that could otherwise be used to improve and help our local movie industry.

Rowena Remiendo, Metro Manila: I don’t go for these telenovelas. They don’t teach Filipinos to live in the real world but rather encourage them to live in their fantasies. It’s a waste of time.

We should be reading books instead

Ginno Jaralve, Metro Manila: Telenovelas per se do not really reflect genuine Filipino values. Rather, fanaticism of Filipinos on these drama series tells us that the people are now more preoccupied with watching TV than reading books, doing physical activities and other more sensible things. True enough, Filipinos are fond of listening to “chismis”. Telenovelas’ subjects are not actually informative and educational. In short, they’re reflections of the typical neighborhood story. Read books instead.

That’s entertaiment

Rey Ibalan, Antipolo City: Sadly, none at all. Most telenovelas are bereft of good values. It’s purely entertainment intended to rake in mega money.

Hilario Erfe, Cavite City: We’re not here talking about values, the people just there to watch and enjoy the show, it’s also economical to enjoy life.

C.K. Yeo, Iloilo City: The popularity of telenovelas may have nothing to do with Filipino values but has something to do with economics. It could be the only cheap form of entertainment poor Filipinos can afford.

Benjamin Nillo, Las Piñas City: None, just plain entertainment. However, in some households, housewives who have been hooked into telenovelas are manifesting undesirable behavior.

Pardon the cliché

Dino Monzon, Caloocan City: Telenovelas are clichéd with the rich abusing the poor, dull love teams, airheads that thrive on jealousy, etc. They should be banned. Animé is way better.

Ching Gaspar, Laoag City: The exploitation of the underprivileged by the high and the mighty is the common plot of most telenovelas. Values of sacrifice, determination, and perseverance are pursued by the protagonists who triumph at the end to compensate for their untiring effort to survive.

Guillermo Bonghanoy, Metro Manila: I would like to believe that these telenovelas could be a source of inspiration. Though plots of the story (e.g. mother looking for a long-lost son; revenge, etc.) are already old, there is still this feeling of excitement in anticipating what’s next. However, it’s good to note that values of patience, perseverance and fear of God are incorporated in the stories.

Gerii Calupitan, Muntinlupa City:’Ninety-per cent of all telenovelas give wrong impressions to viewers. Why expect Korean, Taiwanese, Japanese, Hispanic, etc. shows to teach Pinoys anything good? ’Pag love story, may karibal, aksidente plastic surgery at amnesia siyempre. Bakit, wala na bang maisip na iba? ’Pag superhero, siguradong mawawala ang powers, pero manunumbalik muli bago mag-ending. I’d rather watch informative shows like CSI, NCIS, Cops, 24 etc. or docus like SOCO, Probe, Reporter’s Notebook, etc.

What moral values?

Ella Arenas, Pangasinan: Telenovelas convey nothing about our Filipino values, and it’s quite lamentable that the people responsible for giving us entertainment are the ones corrupting our minds.

Norberto Robles, Taguig: Nada, most telenovela plots are secondary to the bankability of their main characters who are often offsprings of movie parents. And why is there always a gay character in the cast?

Erwin Espinosa, Pangasinan: What values of Filipinos of today are you talking about? These telenovelas, which are dominating our local TV’s primetime, are trash.

Delfin Todcor, Quezon City: Most telenovelas destroy godly moral values of Filipinos since they develop laziness. They are uneducational and unproductive.

Voz Butuyan, Pangasinan: The telenovelas reveal the degeneration of Filipino morals and culture!

Lydia Reyes, Bataan: These telenovelas add to the deterioration of our values. Filipinos, especially children, are talented manggagayas. All they see on TV is violence and they enjoy it.

Leonard Villa, Batac City: These telenovelas have prostituted our values and mislead the youth. Story plots are cheap and ordinary, with emphasis on vengeance and violence. Filipino telenovelas, more often than not, are laced with distorted and wrong sense of values which further lead to moral decay particularly among the youth.

Ruel Bautista, Laguna: Our values today based on our fascination for patronizing these telenovelas are on their lowest ebb, helped along by our continuous search for identity.

Love in its various forms

William Gonzaga, Marikina City: The Kapuso TV series depicts love in various forms. Zorro shows love for the oppressed and willingness to sacrifice life to prove such love. Totoy Bato is about paternal love daring to go to extreme limits just to save a daughter from the brink of death. Love is sacrifice where selflessness is the purest form of such endless love.

Yes to ‘May Bukas Pa’

Armando Tavera, Las Piñas City: If you’re referring to “May Bukas Pa” then I would say this telenovela conveys patience, honesty, love and devotion to God and sacrifice for others.

Sahlee Reyes, Las Pinas City: Those addicted to TV watching are prone to model their behaviors on what they see on TV. The hypnotic state induced by television can influence behavior dramatically, such that television programs that show violence, hatred, animosity, etc. would eventually contribute to the general coarsening of society we see all around us. On the other hand, television programs like “May Bukas Pa” may be the best influence to the young generation nowadays. It has a religious tone that can propagate a firm and solid foundation of spirituality and can mold one into becoming a better person.

Nick Ocampo, Angeles City: For me ‘May Bukas Pa’ is the no. 1 telenovela. It conveys positive values for Filipinos today.

Renato Taylan, Ilocos Norte: Except for one which is reflective of the true values of the Filipinos on spirituality, I find that the others twist morality.

Art imitates life

Eddie Yap, Kabankalan City: Telenovelas that dominate our primetime TV rate because the situations exemplify common problems, conflicts, differences and happiness that exist today inmost of Filipino households. In short, Filipino viewers caneasily empathize with the characters. They can see themselves in the characters being portrayed and they sometimes feel good that their lives are far better off than most of the personalities in the telenovela.

Josh Pacatang, Dipolog City: Personally, I don’t watch them. But I’m a minority in my house, and from what I sense from the women, all four of them, they are glued to their seats during primetime watching the telenovelas because the directors, producers and actors tell stories that play on the hopes and fears of the poor, pains and pleasures of daily life, anguish and anxieties of people living in a world without borders.

Triumph of good over evil

Pedro Alagano Sr. Vigan City: May Bukas Pa, Betty and Tayong Dalawa of Channel 2 convey good values. It shows the triumph of good over evil. Telenovelas in primetime TV are quite entertaining as they truly showcase and convey the bad, the good and the ugly values of Filipinos today.

Edwin Castillo, Batangas City: Greed for money and power breeds graft and corruption. It’s good to note that good always triumphs over evil in telenovelas’ ending.

The ratings game

Norman Villamayor, Mandaluyong City: Television networks have brought the Filipino value of “pakikisama” or loyalty to the fore, making you either a “kapuso” or a “kapamilya”. But instead of developing regard for another, it has only created a demarcation line separating each side with their own grandeur puffery of primetime supremacy while incessantly flaunting to their loyal followers their respective battle victories.

Vir Lauzon, General Santos City: Telenovelas today don’t convey anything about values. They only draw attention to the stars and the raging network wars.

Noel Banias, Metro Manila: Let’s face it. Giant networks airing telenovelas, mostly imported from Taiwan and/or Korea know how little Filipino values are conveyed to Filipino TV audiences. They can’t seem to care for as long as they rake in money. If they air a hundred-per cent locally produced telenovela, they would be lucky to break even. By importing such series, all they have to do is dub it in Filipino. Presto, they have on their hands money magnets. Who cares about imparting Filipino values?

C.B. Fundales, Bulacan: It’s a Catch 22 situation in the degeneration of values. Patronage resulting from distorted values compels profit-oriented TV programming, which furthers the harm.

Bad news sells

Felix Ramento, Manila: Like news, no telenovela is good telenovela because nothing excites the viewers more but the whole length of intrigue and hatred the villain in the story always evokes.

Too commercialized at times

Germi Sison, Cabanatuan City: There are Filipino values – such as the struggle to gain freedom from poverty or injustices through honest and moral ways – that are conveyed by some telenovelas. There are also quotations that are worth instilling in our heart and mind. The setback sometimes is that urbanite socialite performers could hardly depict the roles of poor country people or slum dwellers or vice-versa. Commercializing the story with too much love scenes and violence also defeats the moral lessons being conveyed.

Rose Leobrera, Manila: We see that the Filipino family is closely knit and that life is really a tough experience. It also shows that the more hindrances there are, the more the Filipino fights against all odds in order to survive all obstacles and eventually be a victor. Its only setback is the tendency to extend the story for commercial purposes.

An opportunity to learn

Sem. John Francis C. Aberion (RCJ), Cavite: I would say that these telenovelas are actually educating, after all, in a way that we are able to convey the message of the storyline provided in the show. We do not only watch because we want to be entertained and to satisfy our leisure, but we make telenovelas an opportunity to learn life today.

Views expressed in this section do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The STAR. The STAR does not knowingly publish false information and may not be held liable for the views of readers exercising their right to free expression. The publication also reserves the right to edit contributions to this section as it sees fit.

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