The suggestion of Senator Jinggoy Estrada to "ban" Korean dramas and other foreign-made films in the country to boost local shows and support "homegrown talents" a few days ago received mixed reactions.
Although he already clarified he made the statement "out of frustration," noting how the local showbiz industry has been ailing and for years now, not a few celebrities since dipped into the issue.
Parokya ni Edgar vocalist Chito Miranda wrote on Twitter: "Targeting foreign shows or acts is not the solution for the lack of support towards local shows and artists."
He noted that coming up with better shows is a much better option.
"As artists, kelangan lang natin galingan mas lalo para sabay tayo sa foreign acts," he related. "'Earn' the support. Di pwedeng sapilitan."
Chito also proudly pointed out how the upcoming reunion concert of Eraserheads has already sold out.
Then, he mentioned the Filipino film "Doll House" as dominating an American subscription streaming service.
Chito cited that some local musicians are keeping up with foreign acts on Spotify.
"Pinoys will support local artists, regardless of the accessibility of foreign options, basta magaling," he said.
GMA creative writer Suzette Doctolero thinks so, too.
She wrote: "Hindi need ban! Dapat ang govt mag invest sa local tv/movie ind. Yung excellence na na achieved ng Korea, nangyari kasi may full govt support! Iisa ang kumpas: promote Korea thru culture: kpop, series, fashion, food etc all over the world. So multi-billion industry na nila."
Comedienne Pokwang echoed the same thing, relating: "maganda naman po ang inyong hangarin senador na mabigyan kming mga local artists ng trabaho,salamat po…pero imbes na i ban ang mga koreanobela gayahin natin sila na suportado ng gobyerno ang bawat proyekto nila at ang buong industriya nila #kungpwedelangnaman."
Atty. Rowena Guanzon didn't also like the idea of the banning.
She said: "What? ban Korean telserye? Aba marami kayong kaaway dyan, pati ako. The Extraordinary Atty Woo is my fave."
Politician Ping Lacson also shared his thoughts about it.
"Banning Korean telenovela in Ph: dragging down a better person is the worst kind of envy," he tweeted.
Governor Jonvic Remulla explained the importance of Korean content.
"Tulad ng maraming Caviteño, ako mismo ay fan ng KPop at KDramas. I think they strike a chord in the Filipino heart," he said on Twitter.
According to him, at the height of the pandemic when most of the Filipinos were locked in their homes, K-dramas and K-pop gave many locals hope and inspiration.
"Koreans also make the top tourist arrivals in the Philippines. They love our country while we love them for their world-class entertainment," he related. "There are no boundaries in pop culture."
He thinks that more than anything, we should learn and take inspiration from what the Koreans have achieved.
"Kaya natin yan."
Jonvic added in another post that people should be given the freedom to choose which entertainment content they want.
"Hindi kailangan ng ban. Ang kailangan buksan ng malawak ang pag-iisip."