The University of the Philippines (UP) Department of Broadcast Communication commemorated the National Children’s Day of Broadcasting on Sunday, December 10 with a replay of its colloquium titled “‘Pag Mulát Ang Matá: A Colloquium on Children’s Television in the Philippines” on college radio DZUP’s channels.
The colloquium was the opening event of the Department’s celebration of 70 years of television in the Philippines. It featured discussions with notable creators and producers of children’s TV, including multi-awarded Palanca author of children’s books Augie Rivera, Department of Science and Technology Chief Science Research Specialist Dr. Ruby Roan-Cristobal, and National Council for Children’s Television Chairperson Dr. Luis Gatmaitan.
Topics ranged from the rewards and challenges of children’s program production to the current state of children’s televisual media in the country.
“Television shows for children used to be a staple of local channels in the country up until the mid-2000s. Early local programs included variety and gag shows such as Uncle Bob’s Lucky 7 Club on weekends and Kaluskos Musmos during primetime programming blocks. Foreign educational programs in the 70s such as Sesame Street, and The Electric Company, and animated series were also popular fare for children growing up in an era of appointment viewing,” the Department said in a statement.
“After Martial Law, Philippine television was awash with locally-produced live-action programs for children, led by Batibot, a program meant to complement early childhood education curricula, and the Knowledge Channel’s Epol Apple, Wansapanataym, Bayani, and Sineskwela, among others,” it added.
“Art programs such as Art Angel, Art Is Kool, and Art Jam supplemented kids’ interests in arts. Variety and feature programs such as Ang TV!, Chikiting Patrol, and 5 and Up, among others, entertained kids with experiential stories,” it continued.
Editor’s Note: The colloquium may be rewatched at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0bBfWtEgcE on DZUP’s YouTube channel.