my husband’s cousin recently posted a question in her facebook about the significance and cons of TFC (the filipino channel) in the lives of filipinos living abroad. this was my reply to her:
significance
- it brings us closer to home in more ways than one. the medium does not only allow us to see the local shows that we could have missed by being away or to keep abreast of the latest happenings in the country, but more than that, TFC serves as a link between two separate worlds. if we were all characters in the hit series lost (sorry to the non-fans), TFC could be our variable.
- it allows us to appreciate our cultural heritage, embrace it and makes us experience a unique sense of homecoming. the array of programming in TFC – soaps, news, documentaries, game shows, variety shows, reality-based, talk shows, children and family, lifestyle, etc – is a reflection and a reminder of who we are and what we are as a nation. and in a nutshell, we are a nation of entertainers.
- it bridges the cultural gap between parents and second generation immigrants. this goes back to the fact that TFC enables us to learn more about our culture and language, and in so doing allows foreign-born filipinos (the term used here to identify ethnic lineage and not the nationality per se) to understand the values, attitudes and ways, even the idiosyncrasies rooted from the cultural upbringing of their immigrant parents.
- in a way, it enhances our identity as an ethnic group and as a target market. we have our own international channel to be proud of, and that cable companies around the world have carried the TFC channel speaks volume about the purchasing capacity of overseas filipinos. we even have mickey d’s advertisements on TFC.
cons
- the shows are addicting that TFC subscribers forget about the other cable channels. consequently, they don’t get to maximize what they pay for because their TV is always tuned in to TFC. imagine having 100+ cable channels and watching TFC shows most of the day while paying over 100 gran every month. ack! that’s how i feel when i think about it but then again, thank the stars for the DVR. at least, there’s a way to see the shows from other channels.
- the shows continue to propagate negative cultural traits and we find a reason to justify these inculcated values (‘Eh kasi Pinoy ako’) instead of deconstructing them.
P.S.
let it be stated here that we are kapamilya, except maybe for my dad who watches eat bulaga on pinoy TV. yes, we do have pinoy TV because my dad wanted it for himself but other than that, this channel (otherwise known as kapuso or GMA-7) has of no use to us but for bashing their so-called stars whose names and faces we hardly remember.
