Verzola, Jason Pio Gabriel A.

MuL 152

2010-18423
Prof. Jose Buenconsejo, Ph.D.

Music, and the Filipino Sense of Drama

Since time in memoriam, we Filipinos are always being fond of the dramatic arts, especially
in cinemas and television. We are easily moved by emotional scenes that we see in the movies
and television programs. Advertisers, who are the ones producing television commercials, have
long utilized (or rather exploited) the sense of drama of the common Filipino. The more that a
certain commercial will struck our hearts, the more that the product would be remembered. But
the bigger question is how did this sense of drama had developed among us Filipinos? The
reputable main reason is that the common Filipino experiences economic, political, and cultural
challenges daily. Poverty, hunger, and crises are chronic to our society. Due to this, escapism is
very apparent among us, especially among the masses. We want another world where we could
solve all of our problems easily at once, and theres no better other world than the world of
television. Television and advertisement executives know this. That is why these scenes and
challenges are depicted on the screen. By doing so, they make the commercial more alive, and
closer to our hearts and minds. And the products and services being advertised on the screen are
showcased as the solutions to the daily problems of the common Filipino.
In order to make these television scenes more dramatic, there is always the aid and support of
dramatic music. We always hear this dramatic music being used in a typical Filipino soap
opera, or being played in television variety game shows when the contestant reveals to the
audience how he or she experiences the daily challenges of life, and badly needs the grand prize.
But how about using dramatic music as background music to television commercials? We will
analyze this particular advertisement of the PLDT Landline featuring its ability to cater

long-distance phone calls. The narrative of the commercial goes like this: a seemingly troubled
college student studying in Manila makes a telephone call to his father, who is a medical doctor
in their hometown in Iloilo. The language used in the commercial is not Tagalog, but Hiligaynon.
Anyway, the student wants to shift his academic course from an assumed pre-medical
undergraduate course to fine arts. He tried to explain to his father that he really doesnt want to
become a doctor just like his father, and had to pursue his own endeavors. At the end of the
commercial, the father supported his childs decision. This scene of parents influencing, and
sometimes forcing their children to pursue the family traditions of becoming a successful doctor,
lawyer, businessman, or politician, is very common among Filipino middle-class families.
Now let's go to the music. Actually the music is quite simple. A solo piano music served as
the background for the entire commercial. The exposition was characterized by chords on the
lower register of the piano, and then, tones on the higher register were played when the camera
focuses on the hand of the student as it presses the telephone keys. The entire conversation is
accompanied by more chords on the lower register. These chords, although perceived as major
chords, can depict tension and conflict. The tension will resolve when chords on the higher
register are played only when the father finally understands his child's situation and the voice
over reveals the brand name of the telephone line.
It is posisble that the solo piano music on the commercial is coming from the 19 th-century
romantic tradition of Western music. It is natural for it to evoke emotions in extreme ways. We
are probably influenced by this tradition through the music schools founded during the American
era. Other Filipino television advertisements use piano plus another a violin or a cello, maybe to
depict prestige, nostalgia, and classicism.
Not all commercials in the Philippines use music like this. The media executives are always

hiring popular singers such as Ann Curtis, Vice Ganda or Vic Soto and produces an MTV-like
commercial. The classically-trained musicians have a very long way to go for them to prosper in
the television industry, especially in a crisis-stricken country where the mainstream media
creates an illusion of commercial solutions to the daily problems of the common Filipino.