WESTERN HEGEMONY AND RESISTANCE: RECONSTRUCTING AND REDEEMING THE FILIPINO IDENTITY THROUGH TELEVISION ENTERTAINMENT
Mark Preston S. Lopez

INTRODUCTION

The present cultural state of the Philippines can be viewed via the complexity of its culture that is largely influenced by the idea of post-colonialism and through the exploration of its internal structures and components within the realm of hegemony and cultural imperialism. In his article on post-colonialism, E. San Juan, a Filipino literary writer, strongly posits, “the inhabitants of the islands called the “Philippines” have acquired an identity, a society and a culture not totally of their making . . . Filipinos have been constructed by Others - Spaniards, Japanese and Americans” (2008). Essentially, what San Juan is saying is that the subjugation of the Filipinos has resulted to an imminent case of a post-colonial experience and an ‘Othering’ encounter that has, in a large sense, affected their present way of life and this poses an important paradox. Filipinos assert for a rich cultural heritage as a legacy of their openness to their foreign masters that produced a rich colonial heritage. Ironically, this same cultural richness is what has made them suffer from the absence of an authentic national culture and identity that could be attributed to the observation that Filipinos have persisted to look at themselves within an exogenous cultural paradigm.

In this essay, I want to explore the themes of post-colonialism, Western hegemony, cultural betrayal and the displacement of identity and culture as issues that are espoused in one of the most popular noontime television shows in the Philippines, It’s Showtime. I shall also investigate the idea of resistance to hegemony through cultural allegiance as seen in the show’s shift in format and structure through its Inter-Town Edition in Season 5.

In October 2009, the popular noontime show It’s Showtime started to air in Philippine television. It began as a search for the country’s most entertaining acts but soon has metamorphosed into a hit variety program that primarily features dance groups from all over the country. This change came as a response to the Filipino audience’s demand for a different form of entertainment that could be realized through a diversion from the usual, long-running shows with boring and uninteresting formats. With the evolvement of television in Philippine society through the years, it has catered to the Filipino propensity for entertainment and this craving has further led to the production of a television culture among Filipinos. To attain its goal of becoming a show with a new form of entertainment, ABS-CBN 2’s network management has put together popular Filipino movie stars, television personalities and entertainers to be the hosts of the program (http://www.abs-cbn.com/Weekdays/article/5339/showtime/It-s-Showtime.aspx>).

These personalities have their distinct talents and appeal to the mass audience and they share a sense of humor that binds them together in pursuing a common goal of leading the show with utmost entertainment. As the network foresees, “together, they will be bringing a new and more exciting show filled with surprises and engaging segments that will make viewers experience more fun in It’s Showtime.”

In its first four seasons, It’s Showtime had its competition format, wherein three groups, each made up of two to twenty-five members (with no age limit) perform a single performance, whether it is a dance number or an acting performance. The group with the highest average score from the judges wins and proceeds to the weekly finals. All winners throughout the whole week perform in the weekly finals. Whoever wins in the weekly finals will get the chance to compete in the monthly finals. Lastly, all the monthly finalists compete in a season grand finals.

I have observed that most of the performances in the daily competitions until the grand finals are dance productions that any other observer would perceive the show as a dance reality competition. In other words, the basic core of the program is the dance competition and it is only spiced up with other segments that it now becomes a variety show that showcases other forms of entertainment aside from the dance productions. Also, these segments have been added to enable the show to consume its regular two-hour time allocation. For the purposes of this paper, I shall be focusing my discussion on the show’s competitive aspect, particularly the dance competition that has, based on the show’s statistics been dominated by dancing groups. As a matter of fact, out of the four grand final winners, three groups won with their modern Hip Hop dances while the other one garnered victory with a combined dance and gymnastics production.

In a broader perspective, the dance performances of the competing groups are highly influenced by Western culture whose ubiquitous influence is undeniable, especially among Third World countries like the Philippines. These performances also clearly manifest the neocolonial ideology present especially among the Filipino youth who are more vulnerable to Western cultural hegemony because of their greater access to mainstream media like the Internet and its various sites that contain the cultural trends that easily influence their subscribers. In this process of acculturation, these influences are embraced by docile groups of people and they come in various forms like imitation of fashion trends, adoption of rap music and acquiescence to hip hop dances. Such manifestations of ‘Westernization’ among young Filipinos would subsequently become part of their daily lives through their assimilation to such dominant culture that is starkly different from their own.

In a more specific sense, the dance productions featured in the show are pervaded with the Hip Hop subculture in their music, dance routines, choreography and costume. From a critical standpoint, I would argue that there exists a common trend among these performances that determines the flow of action within the productions. Generally, the performances begin with acrobatic formations. Individuals are being tossed in the air, high pyramid formations are made or group tumblings are executed on the stage’s peripheries. This routine is followed with more acrobatic exhibitions like handsprings, multiple back-tumblings and somersaults in the air. When the crunk or hip hop or disco music starts to play, the members begin to dance in synchrony with movements that are highly characteristic of Hip Hop like popping or dance-breaking. In the middle of the performance, the music is broken with noisy sounds of glasses being broken or distorted voices shouting to segue another set of exhibitions that serves to break the monotony of the dance. When the music reverts to its previous beat, the group moves in synchrony until the performance comes to a conclusion. Within the 3-minute period of performances among these groups, the entertainment derived from these productions is collectively defined by the Hip Hop genre. The wild style of dancing, the street-like beats of music, the sudden changes in the dance routine and the blustering, distorted sound effects all characterize these performances.