Project

in
Language Arts 10

Submitted by:
Alessandra Joyce M. Laxamana &
Lyka Sinque

Submitted to:
T. Armina B. Yocte
 History of Philippine Drama

Philippine drama can be classified into different forms and genres, with the most
popular being the teleserye. The teleserye is a television form of melodramatic serialized
fiction. It is rooted from two words: "tele", which is short for "television," and "serye", a
Tagalog term for "series." Teleserye is now used as the generic term for most Filipino soap
operas on television, although the term officially came into existence in 2000 when
Philippine network ABS-CBN aired its first official form of teleserye, Pangako Sa 'Yo. Prior to
this, Filipino soap operas were called either "telenovelas" (and some are still referred to as
such) and "soap operas."Teleseryes share some characteristics and have similar roots with
classic soap operas and telenovelas, yet the teleserye has evolved into a genre with its own
unique characteristics, often working as a reflection of the social realism of the Filipinos.
Teleseryes are aired in prime-time five days a week, and often replays during weekends.
They attract a broad audience which crosses age and gender lines, and they command the
highest advertising rates in Philippine television. They last anywhere from three months to a
year, or even longer, depending on its rating. Teleseryes are currently produced by The
Philippines' two main television networks, ABS-CBN and GMA Network. They are usually co-
produced by TAPE Inc., and film studio, VIVA Entertainment. Other forms of Philippine dramas
include serials and anthologies, which are usually shown on a weekly basis. These dramas
are also intended to air a finite number of episodes usually lasting one season depending on
the ratings. (http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php/Philippine_drama)

Year 1950s-1980s
Soap operas in the Philippines originated when Gulong ng Palad (Wheel of Fortune)
was first heard on the radio in 1949. The genre then expanded into television in the early
1960s. The first Philippine TV soap opera was Hiwaga sa Bahay na Bato (The Magic Stone
House) in 1963, and was produced by ABS-CBN. Larawan ng Pag-ibig (Picture of Love),
Prinsipe Amante (Prince Amante), and many others soon followed.The Radio Serial was also
the longest-running spanned serial that spanned for decades by the co-writer and revival
writer Loida Virina in the mid-1970s. The story was also made into a soap starring Marianne
Dela Riva as Luisa and Ronald Corveau as Carding in the decade where rising soaps began
Year 1990s
Until the late 1980s, most of the popular Philippine television dramas had been
broadcast in afternoon timeblocks. At the same time, ABS-CBN resumed operations after the
expulsion of the Marcos dictatorship in 1986 and regained its lead among rival networks in
audience ratings by the end of the decade. By the 1990s, however, a new wave of
international television phenomenon would soon sweep the Philippines as well. This started
with the 'Telenovela Craze' due to imported Mexican dramas shown in the country. Largely
credited to the so-called Las Tres Marias or Maria Trilogy of telenovelas produced by the
world-leading Televisa and starred by Thala (starting with Maria Mercedes shown in ABS-CBN
and Marimar shown in RPN-9, both as primetime shows), major networks had begun to
reschedule locally made telenovelas into primetime slots to encourage more Filipino
audiences to watch at night and for advertisers to invest more on these shows. By the mid-
1990s, melodramas surpassed sitcoms (both in number of shows produced and in nationwide
audience ratings) as the most dominant form of primetime television in the Philippines.The
1990s television dramas boosted the careers of several actors and actresses that became
household names in the Philippines during and after the end of their shows' original runs.
However, there were key long-running dramas that stood out due to its popularity. For
example, the ABS-CBN drama Mara Clara, running from 1992 to 1997, gained nationwide
popularity due to the intense rivalry between Judy Ann Santos as the protagonist Mara and
Gladys Reyes as the evil antagonist Clara. The series became the longest-running post-
Martial Law telenovela in Philippine television history, and had experienced frequent timeslot
changes before settling into the standard 7:00 P.M.-8:00 P.M. primetime block by late 1995.
Mara Clara is also credited for being the country's first ever successful telenovela to spawn a
similarly successful movie (under the same name).
Year 2000s
Modern Philippine television dramas have begun to evolve to today's modern form
called teleserye, a portmanteau of the Filipino words "telebisyon" ("television") and "serye"
("series"). The term originated from the ABS-CBN hit drama Pangako Sa 'Yo, airing from 2000
to 2002 and starring Jericho Rosales and Kristine Hermosa. Also known for the heated rivalry
in the show between actresses Eula Valdez and Jean Garcia, Pangako Sa'Yo is dubbed as the
country's first ever teleserye due to its pioneering cinematic production and modified story
structure distinguishing it from previous Filipino telenovelas. It was broadcast internationally
in many networks across Africa and Asia, and remains the most successful Philippine
television series internationally. Pangako Sa 'Yo remains as the record-holder of the all-time
highest rated series finale episode for any locally made program in Philippine television
history.The massive success of Pangako Sa 'Yo inspired ABS-CBN to produce (in mid-2002) its
leadout teleserye, Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay. Already concluded in 2003, the show introduced
the highly acclaimed tandem of John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo as one of the country's most
successful long-established television and film loveteams until today.
Year 2010
The year 2008 marked the international success of the Philippine remake of the
world-hit Colombian original telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea. Starring Bea Alonzo, it became
the most successful Philippine remake of any Latinovela since the 2007 Marimar remake
starring Marian Rivera on GMA Network. Alonzo's portrayal gained widespread prominence
through most of Asia on her titular character. In 2009, the series remake of AnnaLiza was
shelved which was to star Maja Salvador and Jason Abalos, but finally revived again in 2013
(with child star Andrea Brillantes in the title role). Together with the earlier success of the
2007 remake of Maria Flordeluna and the 2010 remake of Mara Clara, starring new
generation actresses Julia Montes and Kathryn Bernardo, ABS-CBN popularized the concept
of revival of previously massive hit telenovelas of the previous decades on Philippine
television. By the 2010s, ABS-CBN and GMA Network would rival in their claims as the most
watched network in the Philippines. While GMA Network appeals to most of the viewers in
Mega Manila (through their shows that are said to be Manila-centric in setting) beginning the
mid-2000s, most primetime shows from ABS-CBN appeal widely to other regions in the
country, particularly in the sought-after audiences of Visayas and Mindanao.
In the first quarter of 2011, Babaeng Hampaslupa is TV5's first made-ever
teledrama offering with Alex Gonzaga, Alice Dixson and Susan Roces until 5 years with last
offering in 2016 Bakit Manipis ang Ulap? (produced by Viva Entertainment, based on the
1985 film of the same title created by Danny Zialcita) with Diether Ocampo, Claudine
Barretto, Cesar Montano and Meg Imperial. Another popular ABS-CBN teleserye was the
2012-2013 series Ina, Kapatid, Anak. Known for the heated on-and-offscreen rivalry of both
actresses Kim Chiu and Maja Salvador during its run, as well as the primetime comeback of
veteran actresses Cherry Pie Picache and Janice de Belen, the show gained national
prominence for its open discussion of mother surrogacy - a topic previously but highly
prohibited on Philippine media - and using the University of the Philippines (the country's
national university) as its main setting. Salvador would later team up with Angel Locsin in the
highly acclaimed 2014 series The Legal Wife in the same network. The show, which also
talked about infidelity and adultery, marked the primetime comeback of Jericho Rosales and
the first ABS-CBN primetime show by newcomer JC de Vera, and became viral due to its
controversial open-ended series finale among Locsin, Salvador and Rosales' characters. GMA
Network, however, scored a major milestone by being the country's first ever television
network to air a gay-themed primetime series. In 2013, the short-lived but popular teleserye
My Husband's Lover, starring newcomer Tom Rodriguez, as well as Dennis Trillo and Carla
Abellana, emerged as a hot topic of national conversation due to their portrayal in the show,
which discussed about homosexuality - a widespread but controversial topic given the
country's longstanding Catholic values and teachings. It has also gained prominence for
being a widely viewed show despite being pitted against the simultaneously running Ina,
Kapatid, Anak that has also since become a hit in and out of the Philippines. The family-
oriented ABS-CBN daytime romantic drama Be Careful With My Heart (aired by ABS-CBN),
starring Jodi Sta. Maria and Richard Yap, became the longest-running teleserye that ran from
July 9, 2012 until November 28, 2014 with a total of 622 episodes. The show has since
become the most successful Philippine television series on daytime block, both domestically
and internationally in the 2010s, as it gained popularity in other countries in Asia such as
Vietnam and Indonesia. Sta. Maria would later team up with Angelica Panganiban, Ian
Veneracion, Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla in the widely talked-about 2015 remake of
Pangako Sa'Yo (still under ABS-CBN), which garnered mixed reviews but wide commercial
success in one of the first few successful remakes of 2000s Philippine telenovelas.
Philippine television dramas reached Latin America beginning 2016, courtesy of
Bridges of Love (that ran from March 16 to August 7, 2015 on ABS-CBN), starring Rosales,
Salvador and Paulo Avelino, under the title Puentes de Amor, the first Philippine drama aired
in Latin America, which began on April 25, 2016 on Panamericana Televisin in Peru. The
same year, Martin starred in the currently running 2015 series Ang Probinsyano, gaining
national attention for its bold portrayal of the country's ongoing anti-illegal drugs campaign
despite renewed nationwide television censors by the MTRCB. 2010s also marked the
renewed popularity of long-term afternoon dramas on Philippine television after a temporary
decline in the late 1990s. From 2014 to 2016, GMA broadcast The Half Sisters which starred
teen actresses Barbie Forteza and Thea Tolentino. Also noted for the performances of veteran
actors Jomari Yllana and Jean Garcia, the show became the network's most successful
teleserye in and out of the Philippines since the 2013 final episode of My Husband's Lover.
ABS-CBN followed suit in 2015 when Julia Montes topbilled the afternoon teleserye Doble
Kara. The show was moved in early 2016 to the 3:20 PM time slot after its noontime show It's
Showtime extended their time occupation then it competed the remake of Sinungaling Mong
Puso in its rival GMA Network.. ABS-CBN earned national attention in 2016 alone for
concluding the runs of short-lived but otherwise popular teen-oriented primetime shows On
the Wings of Love (starring newcomer tandem James Reid and Nadine Lustre) and Born for
You (featuring the primetime debut of Janella Salvador and network newcomer Elmo
Magalona). Both series were consistent topics on national conversation and earned
popularity in the Philippines for doing their respective series finales live (and on real-time).
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_television_drama)
Reference List
1). http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php/Philippine_drama
2). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_television_drama