(POLITIKO) After drawing flak on social media, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada on Tuesday maintained that he was just trying to protect the local movie industry when he previously said that he sometimes considered proposing a ban on foreign telenovelas, including Korean-made drama shows.
“I was trying to take a grasp of the state that the audiovisual services sector has been in nowadays, which by and large, is on the verge of collapse even during the pre-pandemic period,” Estrada said during a privilege speech.
“Sadly, my statements were magnified and even misconstrued by many including a number of industry members who are part of the more than 760,000 workforce in the film and AV sector, who I was trying to protect and fight for,” he said.
“What reverberated in the minds of many was the furthest thing from my mind. I was portrayed as a villain, an antagonist,” the senator lamented.
Estrada delivered the speech after he was disparaged by netizens for saying during the budget hearing of the Film Development Council of the Philippines on Oct. 18 that he thought of prohibiting the showing of foreign-made telenovelas in the Philippines.
Despite the criticisms he received, he said it was a good thing that “it has paved the way for the discussion on the matters concerning the Philippine entertainment industry.”
“Our ailing film industry needs all the support not only from the government but more so from the movie-going public,” Estrada stressed.
“And just like what some vloggers or YouTubers are doing, promoting local tourist destinations or hidden gems in the country, movies can also create a boost for tourism,” he said.
“In ending this issue, I just want to lay emphasis that I’m merely trying to alleviate the plight of my colleagues in the film industry. After all, development starts with the most important element in the industry, the movie worker, just like what my father said,” the senator said.