FILE PHOTO: Senator Jinggoy Estrada at the Senate on September 20, 2022. (Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — There is no plan to propose the banning of Korean and other foreign-made shows in the Philippines, Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada said Wednesday.
Estrada made this clear after earlier airing his frustration over Filipinos’ preference for foreign-made films and shows, particularly Korean telenovelas.
“Wala naman, wala naman,” the senator said in a phone interview with reporters when asked if he would push to have Korean shows banned in the country.
“I said that out of frustration. I only said that out of frustration,” he said, referring to his remark during Tuesday’s Senate hearing on the proposed 2023 budget of the Film Development Council of the Philippines.
During the hearing, the senator admitted that banning foreign-made shows sometimes crosses his mind as he lamented the public and government’s lack of support for the Philippine entertainment industry.
READ: Banning K-dramas sometimes crosses my mind – Estrada
“In my observation, if we continue to show Korean telenovelas, it’s the Koreans that our countrymen admire, and our Filipino artists lose their jobs,” Estrada, who was himself an actor, said in Filipino.
“That’s why sometimes it crosses my mind to have these foreign-made telenovelas banned and that our Filipino artists, who have the innate skill in acting, should be the ones shown here in our country.”
In the phone interview, however, Estrada stressed he has nothing against Korean shows.
“Mahal ko lang ang sariling atin, ang mga Filipino. Pinoproteksyunan ko lang ‘yung ating mga artista na hindi nabibigyan ng (opportunity) upang maipakita naman nila ng kanilang galing sa pag-arte,” he said.
(I just love our own, our countrymen. I’m just protecting our artists who are not given an opportunity to show their talent in acting).
Estrada also lamented that the local movie industry is not only “ailing” but is already “practically dead.”
In a separate statement, the senator reiterated that his remark in the hearing “stems from the frustration that while we are only too eager and willing to celebrate South Korea’s entertainment industry, we have sadly allowed our own to deteriorate because of the lack of support from the moviegoing public.”
“ I wish that the zealousness of our kababayans in patronizing foreign artists can be replicated to support our homegrown talents who I strongly believe are likewise world-class,” he said.
“South Korea’s phenomenal success is rooted in their love of country. It is high time that we follow their example and do the same for our own entertainment industry that is at best, barely surviving,” Estrada added.
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