Even if it's already 2017 and the proposed bill was so last 2013, I still felt compelled to write it. The reason is maybe it's because of Maxine Medina's loss for the Miss Universe crown. I could imagine what if pseudo-nationalist groups like Makabobo would send Renato Reyes Jr. to stir up trouble at the French embassy all because Miss France rightfully won the crown. Even if the whole stupid proposal wasn't signed by former president Noynoy Aquino but I still feel like bringing it up for the sake of bringing it up. I don't think the whole bill won't die so easily especially when you've got sore losers like Senator Neri Colmenares of Bobo Muna who are still in power.
When I look back at 2014, I just thought of how Takeru Sato gave a good comment about the Filipino community who received him well. I even left myself laughing while thinking about how butthurt those stupid Filipino entertainers are when their local audience chose to watch Kyoto Inferno instead. It must have set their asses on fire and they wished that a persona non-grata would be declared on all foreign entertainers. I guess a lot of those whose crappy Tagalog movies fell down wished that Noynoy Aquino not only signed the approval but also wanted to make sure Filipinos lose the rights to bring imported media from abroad.
Why the proposal would be bad for business and economy
Going back to the topic of the proposed bill let me tell you that it's bad for business. The reason why it's bad for business is because it ignores the value of give and take. A good example is the analogy of economic protectionism's unfair measure. We have Filipinos who are allowed to own 100% around the world while foreign investors are only allowed to own 40% in the Philippines. This kind of mentality of "Filipino first" has caused Filipinos to fail. The idea of sariling atin only mentality is just stupid because the idea of self-industrialization is just stupid. If you ignore give and take then you're bound to lose a lot of business partners.
Let's just say the bill got passed and mediocre Filipino entertainers like Kris Aquino and Ai Ai Delas Alas rejoiced over it. The problem is that they may pass another bill that demands foreigners must watch telebasuras while they're in the Philippines or buy their media. This would even give more talk of just how much of a sore loser Filipinos are. Then it may be time to shout "RACIST" to that but look who's talking. This would create the talk that the Philippines wants others to recognize its entertainment but won't let Filipinos recognize others. This may even result to a lot of unnecessary persona non-grata towards foreign entertainers just to protect the butthurt interests of mediocre Filipino artists. Again, where's the give and take?
That in turn will actually end up encouraging smuggling and piracy. Just think bored Filipinos who have had enough of all the stupidity that ABiaS-CBN and GMA-7 have to offer will resolve to piracy. With economic overprotectionism it's very hard to combat piracy and convince Filipinos not to buy pirated DVDs and the like. Instead, they'll end up finding ways to watch better shows even if they have to defy the stupid government. Not to mention let's just say DVD pirates will just need to pay the Bureau of Customs together with the Department of Justice to get their pirated DVDs in. Online piracy may even become harder to combat no thanks to all the B.S. telebasuras watched in the name of nationalism.
Why continuing to allow Filipinos to bring home foreign media is good for business
When there's an exchange of cultural ideas then there's bound to be better improvement. Did you know that Filipino culture today is a mixture of several ideas? The idea of "pure Filipino culture" is stupid because a lot of stuff used by Filipinos today are born out of foreign influence. In the first place, don't tell me that the crap entertainment weren't born out of foreign influence. Recording music into music CDs and MP3s, the use of print media, and the use of the Digital Versatile Disk are all foreign influences. The very production set itself is filled with imported equipment from the filming to the distribution. Don't tell me they used wooden carts to distribute the DVDs because the crap DVDs were moved using imported cars.
Why I'm glad that the bill's removal was done because it would allow competent Filipino artists and producers to do their job. You want Filipino entertainment to be recognized then produce quality work. Show that Filipinos are willing to accept friendly competition with foreigners. It's a good thing to have Filipino talent get recognized abroad. Before shouting "PENOY PRAYD!" one may look at how real talented Filipinos embrace competition in a healthy way. Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach gracefully handed over her crown to Iris Mittenaere. Besides one has to think how did these stupid sore losers have no right to free ride on successful Filipinos.
I would suggest that it's time to allow more free trade. Free trade with reasonable restrictions may considerably lower the sales of pirated goods. This would allow the economy to improve which in turn may strengthen the Philippine peso. This free trade would also involve an exchange of cultural ideas and not just American entertainment. It's also time to remove all the red tape so imported stuff can be sold for less. This in turn may also expose corrupt protectors of those who smuggle or sell pirated DVDs. It will not be just effective on paper if the economy were opened up.
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