Opinion: Why "Love Teams?"
To what do people owe their image of love? There is this overpowering feeling that love should be like this, should be like that and a couple should do like this. Where did such a standard come from?For those who are fond of watching Philippine telenovelas and movies, these all come from love teams. Love teams, are widely known pairings of actors and actresses and these pairings are almost always preserved, constants in the Philippine entertainment industry. Seldom is it seen that a pairing is not together in a project like a new movie or series. Love teams such as Kathniel and AlDub are currently taking over the entertainment industry. But now, some would say that this “love team phenomenon” is going too far and many ask themselves, “Should we let this trend continue in the Philippines?
Though it may seem cheesy, yes, continuing this trend is perfectly fine. It is widely known that romance plays a substantial part in Philippine culture. Music, artworks, films, television series are mostly about love, heartbreak, drama, and the like. Because of this, romance is rarely absent in a lot of works, especially in television. Think of it as the flavor of the drama genre. Furthermore, these love teams create a bond between the story and the audience. Many people who become fans of them, support them all the way, which makes them also support whatever franchise they are in or endorsing. This helps in the marketing of such series like Pangako Sa’yo(which stars Kathniel), the Kalyeserye segment of the noon time show Eat Bulaga and assists greatly in promoting products and in this, companies earn great sums of money.
Love teams are driving forces, they entertain yet yield great results in the financial department. These love teams also greatly influence the ideal image of love to their audience. If a love team becomes a good example to the people, the better it is for everyone. Aside from these points, it would be difficult to just suddenly erase the concept of love teams in our entertainment industry, if ever we chose to do that. Because, as I said, this concept is ingrained into people’s minds and being of great influence as they are, we cannot just obliterate them completely.
Observe how the love teams greatly affect the audience and ultimately the franchise. Fans would buy clothes, accessories, bags, bookmarks, buttons and other kinds of merchandise for their idol love teams. There are even official fan clubs for the love teams, which goes to show the loyalty given to them. Many fans wouldn’t watch a series If their favorite love team wasn’t in it. They would even be greatly devastated if their love team broke up. They pour their souls into these franchises, therefore ensuring that these franchises live for quite a long time.
Although it might seem that love teams are becoming too “mainstream” that does not mean that the love teams are automatically poor examples of entertainment. There are examples of forced love teams, but these are hurriedly shut down because of their ineffectiveness due to the cheap and atrocious entertainment they try to sell. Such lousy public stunts shouldn’t even exist and networks should become more aware of their effects on their viewers. Networks have still generated love teams that are wonderful influences like AlDub, which brings us back to a time when courtship and dating were more conservative and sacred, showing a rare perspective on these subjects that are quite contrary to the norm in the present time.
The addition of humor gives high entertainment value to viewers everywhere. Even if you were worried abut the growth of the popularity of love teams, you can see that other genres are growing as well and are becoming more visible to the public. For example, Heneral Luna an independent film has grossed over P200M and is showing people a better view of Philippine history. More and more citizens are becoming aware of our rich culture and are more willing to see and spend more on worthwhile entertainment. Do not generalize the Filipino people as a nation full of love team crazed fans just because of the rampant romantic themes.
Balance is what we need. A regulation in how networks “use” their love teams. They must be able to use their power to impact viewers in such a way that it teaches us values and entertains at the same time, to show Filipinos a better way of living through passive means. Considering the actors and actresses ordeals also makes them more human and makes fans more aware of acting as the craft and respect them more. They become more comfortable and can actually have the possibility of having a life outside of the limelight where they can’t be bothered by star-struck fans. Also, if cheap and crummy movies are becoming more rampant, do not fear, for the rise of historical and eye-catching films are near. After Heneral Luna, there are more movies that are already planned about other important events in our nation’s history. Our country’s artists have more to give, all we need to do is support.
The growth of love teams in the entertainment industry continues. Through the influences of love teams, if used appropriately, we can appreciate and learn more through this kind of entertainment. But that doesn’t mean we have to close ourselves to other forms of art. As the country opens up more and more to different kinds of entertainment, we can also grow more and more as people through our art, like the movies and telenovelas people know and love. / by Hillary Fajutagana
