The Prime of Pinoy’s Primetime

Philippine Television continues to dominate the lengthening list of vices of the Filipino people. As soon as the clock strikes 5, people begin to jampack the light rail transits, highway buses and road jeepneys and pedicabs, EDSA turns into a sea of lights even an hour before the sun sets, this if you just try to imagine the view from above; the crowd in Cubao, the honking horns of Taft Avenue, the empty towers of Makati and cab scarcity. And why on earth are you still at the office when Agua Bendita is about swim?

All ages, social classes and sexes (even genders) have been admirers, some are victims, of Philippine Primetime Television. All are hooked, from the so-called tambay sa kanto to La Sallistas and the Atenistas. Everyone has his/her favorite shows. And don’t forget that your lolo will get angry if he did not get even a small dosage of exaggerated news from the leading newscasts. I bet you have already forgotten that there used to be a war between Coke and Pepsi ever since the words kapamilya and kapuso were re-invented.

This is the best communal time of the day, people will agree with that. We relate with all the characters we meet right from the start: Mara, Darna, Santino, etc. We say their dialogues (if the need arises) as if those are ours: “Wala nang kokontra, ako na ang bida.”. We cry and laugh and sometimes talk like our favorite primetime bidas. You can even hear an old man in the street courting a young girl who can be his own daughter: “Oh, I will take you far away from here, just make me your Captain Barbell again.” Using those lines to make-up months before the remake of the famous hero.

And yes, we are already going far away from reality. It’s already distorted, baby. We think we know Santino and call him in times of need. Even at our own home-made fight scenes, we exaggerate the facts to make the event more soap-operaish. But is there something wrong with that, huh? And who cares if you mistake yourself as Marian, Dingdong or Juday, or you think Kim Chiu is one of your exes? Philippine Primetime is part of us. Melodrama is the Filipino life! It could be a fault. If it is, it could be ours or the network stations’ fault. But oh, please, don’t you ever turn off the television!