Bagito, exploiting innocence?

Bagito: Pilot Episode

           

            Having a wide scope of audience ranging from young kids to matured adults brings us to the difficulty of filtering appropriate shows. When it comes to showing programs on television, sensitivity and sensibility is a must especially if we will consider the wide array of spectators who can obviously see what is shown. What may seem as an “eye-opener” that improves moral values for others may be unethical and vulgar for some people. And with that comes the issues intertwined with ABS-CBN’s new teleserye, Bagito.

            The story of Bagito follows the life of a 14-year-old boy who goes through the boon and bane of puberty, his teenage life and at the same time, the responsibility of being a young father.

            In the pilot episode of the said teleserye, there were already a lot of flaws than can be noticed. There was a part where Nash Aguas who plays “Andrew,” together with his friends, naughtily sneaked into the girl’s changing room. According to Article 25 sec. 3 of the KBP Broadcast Code of the Philippines, “Explicit depiction of sexual acts, sexual perversions, and nudity are prohibited”. The mere act of “sneaking” into the changing room of the opposite sex is an act of disrespecting their privacy—an act of sexual perversion.

            Another example of unethical portrayals from the same episode was a scene after Andrew’s 14^th birthday, when they went to a bar—of which in the very first place is inappropriate for minors like them. Sensationalizing the minds of the audiences that anyone at the age of 14 is already entitled to such behavior is really wrong.

            Furthermore, another example is the scene where Andrew and his friends deliberately showed how to actually kiss, or make a move to catch the attention of the girls. Though it may have been intended as a joke by Andrew and his friends as a part of that certain scene, still the mere portrayal of such acts are indecent in terms of putting at stake the number of audiences—young or old—who may more likely react negatively on such acts which are televised. In support to this, KBP Code’s Article 11 Sec. 11 states that “Children should not be made to perform acts that are vulgar, obscene, indecent, or inappropriate for children.”

            It can be said that one of the main purposes of the teleserye, Bagito is for social awareness aligned with the advocacy of the Philippine government about teenage pregnancy, pre-marital sex, etc. However, not all audiences are aware of the real objective of the show and others may interpret the context of the story the other way around. With this, I would like to suggest that utmost care should be taken in portraying these actions considering that a whole nation of varying ages is the audience of this televised drama.

            The pilot episode of Bagito is just the beginning of more issues that may pop out in the long run. Hopefully, ABS-CBN can find a way to promote the moral advocacy of the show prioritizing the preservation of the dignity and innocence of people particularly the child cast members and the young audiences.

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Flawed youth?

Goin’ Bulilit Episode: November 23, 2014

As much as some TV shows nowadays are meant for fun or in other words, the entertainment of target audiences, still the occurrence of unfavorable acts in any show is inevitable. And in a bridge that connects us to this idea lies the critical situations of the young budding actors and actresses in the show and their fellow young counterparts on the side of the audience.

Take the case of ABS-CBN’s show, Goin’ Bulilit. It is a gag show featuring children in various comedic situations, thus its main objective is to be funny and entertaining for young spectators. Based on some observations, some segments and jokes involved in the show are apparently not suitable for young audiences.

   

         To discuss this issue, let’s take a look at the episode on November 23, 2014. There was a part in the said episode where two children were playing the role of a husband and a wife. At the end of that certain part, one of the child actors said “walang hiya ka!” — an evident act of  letting young actors speak such nasty words.

   

          Moreover, another example is the show’s other segments where the young cast of the show danced sexily and wore sexy outfits inappropriate for them. Although it’s a gag show and parody is one of its main focuses, making them wear attires that are not suitable for them is not really ‘cute’ in the eyes of most adult audiences.

            Furthermore, in the ‘Use it in a sentence’ (one-liner jokes) portion of the show, there was this line: Use ‘zigzag in a sentence.—“Huwag kang tatawa kundi zigzagin kita ng kutsilyo!” Apparently, there was a tinge of violence promoted in the execution of such language.

    

        In support to the said examples, here’s Article 11 sec.11 of the KBP Broadcast Code of the Philippines: “Children should not be made to perform acts, use language, or put on attire that is vulgar, obscene, indecent, or inappropriate for children.”

         In addition to the aforementioned examples is the “Pampainit Tips” segment of Goin’ Bulilit. These one-liner jokes were mentioned in this particular portion: (a) Talukbong ng kumot at plantsa ng katawan. (b) Umupo sa mainit na kawa, etc. According to Article 11 sec. 1, the airing of programs that would help children to develop their full physical, mental, and social potential as well as attain psychological, emotional, and spiritual maturity shall be encouraged. But then, considering the unlikable idea of the “Pampainit Tips” segment of the show, that certain part seems to be violating what the article says.

           Digging deeper, another example is a part on the same episode where the scene acted out portrayed a situation of making fun of the LGBT. The criticism on this segment of the show falls under Article 22 which states that: DISCRIMINATION. A person, religion, color, ethnicity, gender and physical or mental disability shall not be used in a way that would embarrass, degrade, or ridicule him.

            I must say that it is indeed a program of flawed staging. But still, the show goes on obviously with no strong foundation in making any changes. So, as a soon-to-be media practitioner, it is best to find a way that will align with the innocence the children are entitled of.

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