Some cast members and production crew of telenovelas "Be Careful with my Heart" and "Analiza," (ABS-CBN); "Anna Karenina," (GMA7) and "Cassandra: Warrior Angel" (TV5) after the awarding ceremony at the Daughters of St. Paul's Alberione Auditorium in Pasay City.
MANILA, Oct. 14, 2013—The Daughters of St. Paul publicly recognized the positive values present in some drama serials currently shown on national television in a simple awarding ceremony held during its 75th anniversary celebration Oct. 13.
The activity, dubbed “Telefest 2013”, was conceptualized to acknowledge and commend the best and worth-watching telenovela, and to encourage the advancement of stimulating and formative broadcasting.
Four television dramas were cited for the implicit Christian and formative values the programs promote.
ABS-CBN’s “Be Careful with my Heart” received the Jury’s Choice Award, while “Annalissa” also of ABS-CBN, “Anna Karenina” of GMA7 and “Cassandra: Warrior Angel” of TV5, were given the Paulines Citation Award.
Explaining the rationale for the awards, Sr. Consolata Manding, FSP, directress of Paulines Institute of Communications in Asia (PICA), expressed hope that through the Telefest “[we would become more] aware and sensitive of our responsibility towards the TV viewers.”
“We can make a difference to them when we promote good values that can teach people to become better persons and be united in their respective family, despite the many problems we have in our life,” she said.
Manding dared everyone present during the gathering to take on the challenges as “it is a mission that we Christians and Catholics are called to do.”
Survey
The winners were selected based on a survey done on a sample population of 3,200 composed mostly of elementary and high school students, teachers and parents.
Respondents were asked the reasons for watching and liking a particular “telenovela” shown from 10-11:30 a.m., and from 2:30-11:00 p.m. between 2012-2013.
Aside from face to face interviews, organizers also used Facebook, Email, Online Polls, Cellphone Texting or SMS to conduct the survey.
According to Manding, the survey results were discussed, analyzed and evaluated by groups of parents and teachers who were randomly selected from different schools in Luzon, and a group of media educators from PICA.
She said the jury chose the drama “Be Careful with My Heart” as winner because of its positive impact on televiewers.
“It is not only the amazing performance of the cast and their consistent ability to impress the audience, but it is the content of every episode and how issues are dealt with, that is surprisingly impressive, entertaining, formative and implicitly very Christian,” she said on the selection.
Daily companion
MTRCB (Movie Television Review Classification Board) chair Atty. Eugenio Villareal, who was present in yesterday’s gathering, remarked how the teleserye has become a day to day companion to Filipino viewers.
He challenged the TV networks to produce more “telenovelas” that are value laden, pointing out its power to “edify, educate, and develop each and every one of us in our families.”
“The charism of the ‘teleserye’ is that it transforms us to the classroom of life,” Villareal said.
The telefest was the first initiative of the Daughters of St. Paul, to formally and publicly recognize the valuable contribution of television programs, particularly drama, as one among the favorite TV programs of Filipino people.
The Pauline sisters —who use media as means of evangelization—organized the activity to acknowledge the role of television in promoting values to its viewers and encourage local scriptwriters and directors to come up with more wholesome “telenovelas” which can uplift the moral standards of the Filipino people. (PB/CBCPNews)