Timow's Turf

Tomorrow, the calendar turns a heavy page,  Forty years since the yellow ribbons frayed.  But the streets stay quiet, the asphalt cold,  Just an ordinary Wednesday for the young and old.  The "Spirit of '86" is a ghost in the hall,  While the veterans who carried it wither and fall—  Bless their hearts, they are slipping away,  Taking the fire of the barricade to the clay. Ideally , the scales would be balanced and true,  But the ghosts of the recent are coming into view.  As the ICC gathers its papers and pleas,  To weigh out the blood of the "War" on its knees,  I think of the word—that hopeful "Ideally"—  Spoken by Bam while the truth settles wearily.  Justice is a harvest we never quite reap,  While the guardians of order are buried or asleep. Ideally , the screen would be a mirror, not a mask,  But the giants grew quiet when taken to task.  Six years since the signal at Ignacia went dead,  The bold...

FOR DECADES , Philippine entertainment was controlled by gatekeeping, with success tied to playing by the "Press Clubs" or private organizations' rules for TV awards.  But last week, FAMAS—the country’s oldest and most prestigious award body—decided to stop watching from the sidelines. The inaugural FAMAS Broadcast Arts Awards , set for May 4 at Manila Hotel, is more than a new event date. It's a deliberate move to challenge the "antiquated mindset" that has caused Philippine TV awards to fall into favoritism, network bias, and irrelevance. The PMPC Problem: A Legacy of Favoritism To understand why the FAMAS expansion is crucial, we must confront the elephant in the room: the PMPC Star Awards for TV. Since 1987, the Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) has held a near-monopoly on recognizing television excellence. However, longevity does not always equate to integrity. The Star Awards have long been marred by whispers—and often shouts—of network favoritism. T...