“The following #POPCreators entry was submitted by Maria Sophia Andrea Rosello, who lives by the phrase, “Tangkilikin ang sariling atin.” Submissions under POP! Creator Community appears “as is,” without any editorial intervention.
Here’s her piece, “A compositional ode to Filipino Media”:
From the day I was born, I consumed media –I think we all did. From the morning cartoons of before, to the present Cocomelon Youtube videos toddlers have been found mesmerized towards; we learned what normal was through what was presented in media and people seem to overlook its great prowess.
I remember back then, how even in school, the television show Sineskwela was used to teach us about the life cycle, along with how my Filipino class made us watch the 1998 film Bata bata pano ka ginawa? so we could familiarize ourselves with the Tagalog dialect in conversation, and even my Values Education class showed us the 2017 film Seven Sundays to give light to the importance of familial ties. However, I’ve noticed that people still look down on the productions done by our own countrymen as they compare it to those abroad.
Personally, I cannot digest the idea of consuming the riches of our neighbors without recognizing the great treasures of our own.
I have this sense of Filipino Pride; I am just overwhelmed with the great artists that live in the very same land as I do. Nonetheless, maybe I just feel so as a future media practitioner. With my knowledge and great appreciation for the processes to achieve the various mediums, I have nothing but admiration for them, but what about the others? The Philippines may have comical concepts at times, but every now and then, especially now, there are films and teleseryes that are too good not to watch; yet I still know people who opt to watch the newest K-drama over the latest award-winning Filipino film.
Maybe it’s the meme culture we all have observed but I feel like there’s this standard people have lowered to actually admit that they enjoy the Filipino arts. Some people say that it’s all too corny, with the overused plots and dynamics but hidden beyond that are these gems that will remain in the dark if we don’t appreciate the richness they hold.
The month of February is our National Month for the Arts, and August was made to become the month-long celebration of our language, but we have everyday to choose local.
I am inviting anyone and everyone to choose something a Filipino produced: whether it’d be a film, podcast, song, magazine, novel, video game, or television show. There still so much to scour through with the multiple outlets being fed to us and it’s all open for your own choosing, so I don’t see any reason for you not to.
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