The Evolution of Philippine Popular Culture

1960's - mass
communications
research
1
1960"s
Factors that influenced mass comm:
Factors
-the recognition of mass communication as a vital, current field of endeavor and
inquiry

- the sending of scholars abroad and their return with questions about Philippine
situation

Factors
- the establishment of the U.P. Institute of Mass Communication and of mass
communication programs in other schools

-the government interest in the relation of mass communication to development

Mid 70's
Scholars examined some modes of fiction in different media : film, television,
radio, and comics

2
1970.'s
 Literary concern
A cultural critic concern on:
Cultural Values
What cultural values were transmitted?

Person/Effect/Purpose
Manner
How well was the transmission being done?

To whom? with what effect? and to what purpose?

Major areas of Philippine Popular Culture
3
Komiks - created for a popular by artists whose minds tuned to the public
dream.
KOMIKS
What makes the komiks popular?
Its content:
 -the dreams
 -the hopes
 -the values
 the vision of life
 -the escape from reality
 -the problems and their solution
 -the total world view
Content
Examples
Komiks "of the people"
Films
4
FILMS
Timeline of film industry
Cinematografo - first films shown in short features

1909 - First two locally made feature films - life of Jose Rizal (produced by
Yearsly and

Gross(Americans)

1919 - First full-length feature film - Dalagang Bukid ( Jose Nepomuceno )

1924 - There were 214 movie houses in the Phils.

1932 - The first taking film - Ang Aswang (Musser)

1939 - Philippine movie industry is fifth in the world

Today - Proliferation of small independent producers

"Bakya" as a mark of class distinction rather than taste
- the film has vocabulary not known to the general audience.

- defects of the film because it is derived from a folk drama

"Bakya"
Scholars who are concerned with film history
Nicanor Tiongson

"From Stage to Screen" - examines folk

drama as a source for the Filipino film

"Four Values in Filipino Drama and

Film" - studies colonial values

expressed in both media

Bienvenido Lumbera - heroes and

heroines in Philippine film are derived

from Philippine Literature

ex: Kristo, Hudas, Laura, Aladin, Ibarra,

Maria Clara, Sisa

Film History Scholars

1922 - a three 50-watt stations organized by Henry Hermann were given
temporary permit to operate in Manila and Pasay
5
Uses:

- for demonstration

- provided music

- to advertise merchandise
RADIO
Timeline of Radio operation in the Philippines
Timeline of Philippine Radio
1930's - radio gained as much glamor as the movies for news ( popular radio
programs

like "Sunrise Club" and "Listerine Amateur Hour")

1940's - closure of all radio stations during the Japanese occupation

1945 (end of occupation) - became the real birth of Philippine radio

1950 - started on-the-spot news coverage by Bob Stewart (DZBB)

1950 - transistor revolution (Pres, Garcia donated radio monitors to the barrios "to

combat subversive elements in the rural areas"

1961 - the largest broadcasting was formed, the Bolinao Electronics Corporation

then named Alto Broadcasting Network, and finally became Kanlaon

Broadcasting System

1969 - 62% of the total population (6, 347,000) households had radio sets

Pop culture thru radio

Popular culture conveyed by radio:
1. popular music
2. soap opera
"Ilaw ng Tahanan" and "Gulong ng Palad" - longest running shows
6
MAGAZINES
Popular Magazines
1905 - The Philippine Magazine (not popular because it

is written in English)

1923 - Liwayway (became popular)

1941 - Liwayway had a circulation of 89,000 (Bisaya,

Bannawag, Bicolnon)

1972 - Philippine Free Press ( popular for it was printed

on cheap newsprint and majority English

speaking public read it.

Popular Music
Kundimans, zarsuelas, love songs, street songs, and children's songs - some were
recorded but not used on stage or in public gatherings

7
MUSIC
Artists and their music
Pop Music
Rolando Tinio - translated an album of American songs into Pilipino for Celeste
Legaspi ( and the trend was on)

Hot Dog - "Pers Lab" Taglish and in melodious beat

Pinoy Pop had arrived with song compositions and competitions(organized by

Metro Manila Pop Song Festival)

Radio stations were required to play at least 3 Pilipino songs every hour.

Freddie Aguilar - composed "Anak" said to have a folk beat and went international

Joey "Pepe" Smith(Juan dela Cruz band) - started Pinoy rock which sound is
Western rock but the lyrics were in Pilipino("our own music"

*There are music critics who devoted serious study to popular Filipino music and
disseminate their study through lectures and articles. (Felipe de Leon, Jr., Anna
Leah de Leon)

The Challenges in Philippine Pop Culture

8
PHILIPPINE POP CULTURE
Research that should be focused on
-Definition of popular culture

- Review of Literature

- Identification of Issues

-Identification of the "public"

-Definition of popular writer

-Identification of purpose

- Deepening of inquiry in other

fields already explored

-Identification of other fields of

inquiry

Reference
Reference:

Fernandez, D. (1981). Philippine Popular Culture: Dimensions and Directions the

Field of

Research in Philippine Popular Culture. Retrieved on August 24, 2021 from

https://www.jstor.org/stable/42632570?read-
now=1&seq=16#page_scan_tab_contents