Bela Padilla on K-Drama: 'The difference of how they work is inspiring'

Bela Padilla reacted to the recent K-Drama issue

Actress-director Bela Padilla has personally witnessed the difference between the Philippines and South Korea when it comes to creating entertainment projects.

Bela is one of the premiere actresses of her generation. Aside from acting, she also does screenplays. She had her directorial debut in the movie 366 which she also wrote and acted in.

Just recently, Senator Jinggoy Estrada said that he thought of pushing the ban on K-dramas in the Philippines. He said that through this, the focus of Pinoys will belong to the projects created by Pinoy artists.

The lawmaker, who is also an actor, received negative reactions because of this. Even personalities in the Philippine entertainment industry slammed him. Sen. Jinggoy explained that his statement came from his frustration that projects created by Pinoy artists are not getting much attention compared to those that were produced by Koreans.

In the recent Twitter thread that Bela Padilla shared, she said that Pinoys watch the K-dramas because a big budget is being spent and their creations have high production value.

She shared that she is currently in South Korea and she has this observation. “I’m currently in South Korea shooting a Filipino film and the difference of how they work is inspiring,” the actress-director said.

As a filmmaker, Bela said that she is saddened by the fact that Pinoy artists are not getting this level of importance from the government. She also said that every aspect of the production in South Korea cannot be compared to what the Filipinos currently have.

Bela stressed that “if we level the playing field and if filmmakers in the Philippines are given the same respect and support, we definitely could create world class content too.” Sadly, the actress-director said that, as of the moment, this is not the situation in the country.

However, banning the K-dramas because they are much better than what the Pinoys are creating is a petty move, she said. “Be happy for others and learn from their success. Kaya siguro tayo hindi masyadong umaasenso, pinupuna kasi natin ang mga taong masaya. Nakakahiya,” Bela Padilla stressed.

-get the same support, funding or help from our government. Even the production costs, working hours, talent fees of writers, directors and everybody involved in making a film is too far for us to even compare. I agree that if we level the playing field-
— Bela “mapanakit” Padilla (@padillabela) October 21, 2022

Be happy for others and learn from their success. Kaya siguro tayo hindi masyadong umaasenso, pinupuna kasi natin ang mga taong masaya. Nakakahiya.
— Bela “mapanakit” Padilla (@padillabela) October 21, 2022