"Our fellow countrymen idolize Korean actors, while our artists are losing their jobs," Filipino senator Jinggoy Estrada under fire for wanting to ban K-dramas in the Philippines

K-dramas have been receiving much love worldwide, and the genre is quickly becoming mainstream content in recent years with the boom of global VOD services such as Netflix.

With global streaming services like Netflix investing heavily in K-content, many people from anywhere in the world can easily access some of the most recent and popular K-dramas. While many people have viewed K-dramas as a form of comfort that gave them hope during the COVID pandemic, which caused the whole global village to be locked indoors, some viewed K-content as a threat.

On October 18, senator Jinggoy Estrada said he wanted to ban Korean dramas from the Philippines as they threaten domestic-made shows. According to The Manila Times, the senator stated, "From what I have observed, we continue to show South Korean television series and that our fellow countrymen idolize Korean actors, while our artists are losing their jobs. So, sometimes I think of banning these foreign shows so that our own artists should be the ones we are showing instead."

Most citizens in the Philippines disagree with the senator and are raising their voices against his remarks.

Among those who criticized senator Jinggoy Estrada's remarks is governor Juanito Victor Remulla. The governor explained through a Twitter post, "At the height of the pandemic when most of us were locked in our homes, KDramas and KPop gave many Filipinos hope and inspiration. Koreans also make the top tourist arrivals in the Philippines. They love our country while we love them for their world-class entertainment."

Governor Remulla argued, "There are no boundaries in pop culture. Learn and take inspiration from what the Koreans have achieved. People should be given the freedom to choose which entertainment content they want. There is no need for a ban. What is needed is to think broadly."

Others are also raising their voice against senator Jinggoy Estrada stating that K-drama "is the only thing good for our stress and depression. Try watching them and then compare so you can see the difference. Have mercy. Don't touch the things that take away our depression."