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.

Philippine Modern Drama

The cinema or motion picture
is one of the most popular form of art and entertainment in the Philippines. Millions
of people go to the movies and many more watch movies on the television every
week. TV networks use picture techniques to film many of the programs that appear
on the television each week. Philippine motion picture is also source of information
as well as of entertainment. It can introduce us to new ideas and help us explore
serious social issues. Students, industries and our government uses it for
educational, to advertise their products and to inform and influence the Filipino and
people from other countries. It is an art form that has been called a wild
combination of art, culture, commerce, and technology. The film extensively makes
use of sound and light. It has its intellectual, imaginative, and technical aspects.
The most popular subject for these plays was the lovers' double suicide Kabuki
Drama The most popular form of traditional Japanese Drama Originated at the end
of the 16 th century, it is much more extravagant than the Noh plays Focuses on the
visual aspects of theater, heavy makeup, exaggerated acting, and special effects.
ELOISA MAY P. HERNANDEZ
From one colonizer to another after more than three centuries of Spanish rule, the
Americans came. They set out to conquer the Filipinos through education and governance
the public school system and a system of government.
With the establishment of public schools, there was an increase in demand for
illustrations and cartoons for books and publications. With the influx of new corporations,
advertising and commercial design were in demand and were incorporated in the curriculum
of fine arts schools.
With the arrival of the new colonial power came a shift in art patronage from the
native ilustrados to the Americans. The new patrons, including the tourists and foreign
investors, favored landscapes, still life, and genre themes that show the beauty of the land
and its people. Portraits were still favored by the public officials, usually depicting them in
dignified poses.
Everything changed with the advent of World War II in Asia with the Japanese bombing
of Pearl Harbor on December 8, 1941. It was the Japanese colonizers goal to place the
country under the autonomous Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere under their
leadership. For the four years of the Japanese occupation, from 1941 to 1945, the colonizers,
as a means of propaganda, used the visual arts. They produced posters, leaflets, flyers,
comics, and illustrations that were dropped from passing airplanes. These included colored
drawings, watercolor, photographs, photomontages, or calendar illustrations. They came
with accompanying verses or propaganda slogans that conveyed messages that suggested
the following: cooperation between the Philippines and Japan; rejection of Anglo American
influences; dissemination of Niponggo; appeal to the youth; and, the might of the Japanese
military.