Ten Signs that you are watching a Pinoy Soap Opera (part Two)

5. How the rich is portrayed. Most teleseryes I saw painted a negative image to the rich people. While rich people are portrayed as living in a mansion, served by housemaids, having cars, bank accounts and business. but they also painted rich people as manipulating, cunning and self-centered people. And finding a good person among those rich people is tantamount of seeing roses in a stem of thorns.

4. Revenge. Female heroines are usually the ones having business with revenge. At first, they are like martyrs who accepted all those humiliations and bullying made by the kontrabidas. The science behind this is to achieve character development and to draw sympathy from the viewers. Of course, she will learn how to fight. But then, a cataclysmic event needs to happen to her like she almost died or one of her kin, for her to realize that she needs to seek revenge to those perpetuators. With the help of a fairy godmother or a rich admirer who harbors deep feelings towards her, she will change to a woman seeking revenge. Just as expected, ratings would soar up.

3. Kontrabidas. A teleserye would be boring without a feisty, cunning, annoying and sometimes, over the top kontrabidas. An effective kontrabida can save a boring teleserye. The kontrabida may be either the hero or heroine's love interest's parents (quite long) as well as the third wheels. Let's include their respective minions as well. The kontrabida has this motto, "kung gusto may paraan" so whatever means necessary the kontrabida have to do it even using guns.They just don't know realize that, "kung ayaw, may dahilan".

2. Childhood. For sure, 90% or more of all teleseryes always starts with childhood. Lead characters have met in the past when they were young and got together again. This is to give viewers an insight that they were the leads and from the start they were destined. (char!) The childhood stage always runs on the first week and sometimes extended to the second week.

1. Lost child. A lot of teleseryes uses this plot to make the story exciting. When the lead character was little, she was taken away from her biological family. Another was, when she was young, because of circumstances such as disasters and the main kontrabida's successful evil plot, she was separated from her parents. The lead character ended up either in the care of her foster parents or to an evil aunt. But one thing's for sure, she ended up in a hard life, contrary to her biological parent's rich life. They will reunite when the lead character was about to seek revenge. But before that big revelation, the kontrabida is always the first one to know.

Nowadays, the landscape of soap operas are changing. There are soap operas that weren't following some of these cliches such as My Husband's Lovers and Be Careful with my Heart.. It must have been caused by the change in viewer's perception as they are get used to and tired of seeing these cliches in the television. Also, the influence of Korean soap operas or Hallyu wave has also brought a change. For example, before Pinoy soap operas were about 1 or 2 years long, but because Korean dramas were shown here, TV stations trim down soap operas to about 1 to 6 months depending on how the soap opera performs in the ratings.

In the end, Pinoy soap operas are part of Pinoy culture and television habits. There will still be viewers, actors and actresses, directors, writers and the production team and TV stations who would gain profit and at the same time entertain their viewers.

Ten Signs that you are watching a Pinoy Soap Opera (part One)

Teleseryes/telenovelas have become a part of everyday TV habit of majority of Filipinos particularly mothers. After the evening news, families glued in front of TV, watching every drop of tears, shouts, joys and 'kilig' of the characters. Every emotion shown to them, they feel it. And every mean thing that the kontrabida do, viewers get angry. Expect that tomorrow, in marketplace or in school, the one common thing that they would talk about is that teleserye and what happened to its characters etc. Here are the ten signs that, when you turn your TV on, you will know that you are watching a Pinoy Soap Opera:

Be Careful with my Heart stands out among teleseryes

10. Titles. Teleserye titles are usually inspired or patterned after their theme song. Famous example would be "Be Careful With My Heart" and "Got To Believe". This is for strong recall among viewers when they will hear the song somewhere. So when you  make your own teleserye, why not try this title, "Gangnam Style" or "Wrecking Ball. For sure you're viewers will not only recall but dance.

9. Violence. Teleserye writers incorporate violence even if the theme is drama/romance. And the  most 'sophisticated' (or suffocating) are guns and kidnapping. A heroine gets kidnapped by the villain and her prince charming needs to save her in an abandoned warehouse. As usual, throughout the action, the only characters in the warehouse were the hero, the heroine and the villain and his goons. Expect that policemen are present after the scene. Directors don't get tired of adding some forms of violence for ratings purposes. Oh please, do you think it will be good if violence in teleseryes should be minimize for the sake of children?

8. Outdated Dialogues and 'Imortal' Lines. There are teleseryes that, through some dialogues, feels like outdated. Who the heck will still address a rich madame as "Senyora"? Even terms of endearment such as "hijo". (Haay, update2x pag may time.) There are teleseryes that delivers such 'imortal' lines like Iisa Pa Lamang that even all the colors were given lines to provide a touch of comic relief to the intense, sometimes boring scenes. Unrealistic sometimes. Oh by the way, there are actors that deliver their lines as if they're reciting a poem.

7. Star-crossed lovers. Teleseryes, most of the time, has this star-crossed lovers angle. The Romeo and Juliet, the Langit Ka at Lupa Ako-peg, name it, teleserye writers can write it. Teleserye writers can come up with different scenarios/situations that two loving people need to be separated so that they can prove to everyone and to us, viewers that they love each other and ready to fight for each other. Among the most prominent reason that they can come up is of course, the social barrier between them. A rich guy falls in love with a poor girl vice-versa and their only opponent is the rich character's parents. Let us also include warring families, a violent family background and that-so called Forbidden Love.

6. Third-wheel. Since Romeo and Juliet supposedly needs not to end up together, of course, a third wheel is needed to make everything sour. A male third wheel in Pinoy soap operas were portrayed as competitive and envious. It surprises me to see that they can handle guns themselves (okay,  let's just put it that they're gun enthusiast). Luckily, there are male third wheels that concede in the name of love and guess what, they'll depart and go to the U.S for some reasons - heartbreak is one of them. On the other hand, the female third wheel is always portrayed as selfish, sossy/sosyal and manipulating. She is deemed as she-doesn't-care-for-others just for the sake of getting 'her' man. They're also wearing thick make-ups and eyeliners.

Sitio Mohon

It was Sunday dawn when my cousins arrived at our house to fetch me and my younger brother. We were going to Medellin, a small town located approximately 120 kilometers north of Cebu City. Our mission to Medellin is to facilitate a feeding program to the people who were affected by Typhoon Yolanda. The trip was lengthy and we needed to stop twice - one for CR break and the other, for breakfast by the road near La Paz in Bogo City.

As we approached to our chosen sitio (in Medellin), Sitio Mohon,  a bunch of kids welcomed us as if they anticipate visitors coming to their sitio everyday or weekly and bringing goods for them. Our feeding program offered hot rice porridge (or in Bisaya, lugaw), hotdog and flavored packed juice. Kids and adults fall in line while my cousins served the food to them. A heartwarming smile and a big thank you was their gift of appreciation!

Kids and adults fall in line

After the first distribution, I talked to a certain lady whose name I failed to ask. She shared their hardship during that day - the day that Typhoon Yolanda ravage the sitio. The town of Medellin is one of the hardest areas hit by the typhoon in Northern Cebu. During the storm, the residents of sitio found refuge to other resident's house which were quite sturdy and made of cement compared to their houses which were made only of wood. The typhoon devastated their homes especially the upper portion of the sitio. Some homes were completely destroyed. Currently, some of the residents lived at their neighbor's house but they hoped that they could build their own as soon as possible.

Fortunately, there are no casualties in the area. Some residents sustained minor injuries. After the storm, donations from different organizations and private individuals poured in week by week. In fact, during our feeding program at the sitio, there was a distribution of relief goods and school supplies at a nearby elementary school. Food, school supplies and even nails were donated to them. There are some instances that the people there, some are children, are waiting by the road. However, they found it dangerous, out of an incident that a spoiled packed lunch was given to them. At night, the residents were vigilant. There are thieves that may posed as Yolanda survivors from Tacloban who may rob them of their goods.

The residents of Sitio Mohon have a low income, nearly 2,000 a month. Most people worked as fishermen, carpenters and workers of sugarcane plantation. The highest attainable degree is High School and if diligent enough as well as with money, they enroll to vocational courses given by TESDA. Their baranggay health center has only one midwife and shelves for medicine were almost empty. They rely on community generator for electrity and a private artesian well for water. The typhoon made it harder for them.

I asked her if the government had made a vow of helping building their homes. She answered that there is, however, up to this time, it wasn't fulfilled yet. And when I asked her about the Conditional Cash Transfer, a government program for the indigent, she admitted that their family of  5 children weren't a member. In their sitio, she commented, that it was unfair because the members of CCT were selected and some were even ineligible. The government didn't give time to survey about their conditions.

Though rebuilding is taking place, the destruction brought by Typhoon Yolanda were still evident. Almost roofless homes,fallen trees, destroyed livelihood and school buildings. However, the true thing that is never destroyed, as I've seen through the visit, is the faith and hope of everyone!

Just Sayin': Exempting Manny from paying taxes?

Just two weeks ago, the pound-for-pound king, Manny Pacquiao has won a battle against Brandon Rios for the WBO International Welterweight title in Macau. Though coming home victorious, however, he is facing another fight in his home country - the  P2.2 billion tax case filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue. His bank accounts were frozen and among them was his account meant for paying his employees and scholars that he supported. He admitted, because of bank freeze, he borrowed money that he used for his relief campaign to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda.

As a "sign of appreciation" to the fighting congressman of Saranggani, a local solon filed a bill that would grant a lifetime individual tax exemption to the champ. Given that Pacquaio has given an outstanding honor and pride to our country and has helped a lot of people using his hard-earned especially during disasters such as the recent one with Typhoon Yolanda, it is up to the state to give him some reward.. The congressman cited the case of Luz Marina Zuluaga, who, after been crowned as Miss Universe in 1958, was given by the Colombian government, a lifetime tax exemption. So, if the Colombian government can provide a lifetime tax exemption to an individual, why can't our government provide one to Pacquiao who had brought countless honors for our country? 

There is no doubt that Pacquaio is one of the greatest boxing icon of all time. Having 8 world division titles under his wing, the first one to do so, the world stops whenever this icon has a fight in the ring. Streets in the Philippines becomes traffic congestion-free during his fight and the national police registers zero crime rate throughout that day. As the media says that there is such unity whenever this champ go up to the ring. Pinoy Pride, whatever it is, the Filipinos identify themselves with him as he goes up, punches and knocks his opponent down just as they're fighting their everyday opponents, poverty and corruption. His defeat is their defeat, much as his success as their own. Thus, a distinction of lifetime tax exemption is tantamount to giving the highest recognition to the People's Champ, right?

In the history of taxation in the Philippines, no individual had ever been granted a lifetime tax exemption. And if this House Bill will push through to become a law, Manny Pacquaio will be the first and only individual in the Philippines to have such a rare privilege. However, things wouldn't go smooth sailing. Malacañang thumbs down that bill citing that it is unreasonable. Even, most netizens doesn't welcome the idea, saying that this is quite unfair to other people. Though Manny Pacquiao brought honor and pride to our country and helped people, most especially impoverished ones, it is not enough as a basis to grant him exemption from paying taxes. Paying right taxes is a duty of every citizen in our country whether rich or poor, famous or anonymous. If he is given such a rare privilege, it is contrary to his image as makabayan. A nationalistic Manny Pacquiao who is the pride of the Philippines doesn't need to pay taxes? Quite the opposite. This rare privilege is unfair to Filipinos who had also brought home victories from other countries such as in international games, beauty pageants and even, talent shows abroad. 

If there is one thing that our Congress could do for Manny Pacquiao, I say, recognition, monuments and others are all nothing compared to making our country a better place than what it is today. The Congress should formulate laws that would bring down poverty, protect those in need of the law and drives off corruption in the government. Bills such as the Freedom of Information bill needs to be pass on Congress. By driving corruption out in the government, this would bring back the trust of the people that was tarnished by controversies like PDAF scam. This would relieve tax-payers like Manny that the taxes they're paying would be used for the people, not for corrupt politicians.