Abstract:
Television shows or teleseryes remain a significant source of entertainment for Filipinos.
Ready to access, convenient, and easily understood, these are always available to those subscribed
to a particular local network. This study examined the portrayal of power and power dynamics in
Philippine teleseryes by analyzing two locally produced shows: First Yaya (2021) and TODA One I
Love (2019), looking into the representations of gender and class in significant episodes. It used
Barthes’s semiotics theory to analyze the denotative and connotative meanings of power-containing
scenes, which were identified through the forms of power - power-over, power-to and power-with.
We found that power-over dominates the scenes containing gender and class, followed by power-to,
while power-with is the least present in both teleseryes. Class relations are characterized by constant
clashes between the antagonistic and manipulative rich and the vulnerable poor. We also found that
gender portrayal reinforces power imbalance between male characters and female characters,
though it has more diversity in the portrayal of women, who either experience a certain form of
domination from men or engage in an antagonistic relationship with other women. We found
catering to the male gaze as both shows sexualize and objectify female characters, profiting from
the misuse of the term ‘feminism.’ Furthermore, its use of protagonists coming from the lower
social class provides an escapism for audiences coming from the same class thereby ensuring
ratings for the programs. Through all these, the study hopes to expand knowledge on the presence
of power, gender, and class in teleseryes, introducing a wider understanding on how political issues
are presented in the entertainment arena of Philippine television.
