[Imc-manila @list] do this for civic duty--not for posting--for the moderator

[Southeast Asian Foundation for Children's TV]

THE ANAK TV SEAL

A Backgrounder

Conveniently called the “whipping boy” when violent behavior among children
is discussed, television is also blamed, deservedly or not, for many other
such phenomena like eroding morals and children’s early introduction to sex.
It is not surprising then that parents and teachers are usually up against
what they think is irresponsible broadcasting. In response, the television
networks, through their own aggrupation called the Southeast Asian
Foundation for Children’s Television (SEAFCTV) organized consultative forums
nationwide and launched the ANAK TV SEAL.
Similar to a seal of good housekeeping, the ANAK TV SEAL is a national award
bestowed by various stakeholders (including parents, educators, business and
media people, government, media, NGOs, the religious sector and youth) on TV
programs airing on Philippine television, (whether locally produced or not)
which they think are child-sensitive. The criteria used are as diverse as
the disciplines represented in the multi-sectoral jury.
A Primary Level Jury composed of over 2,000 jurors screens the entries
employing flexible guidelines. These judging sessions are held all over the
country from February to July. The Secondary Level Jury, where the qualified
entrants are elevated to, scrutinizes the programs from various vantage
points such as the moral slant, artistic merit, educational content,
cultural relevance and others.
Entries that receive the Secondary Jury’s nod in the final round are then
endorsed to the board of the SEAFCTV (composed of network presidents and
general managers), which formally declares the chosen entries as winners of
the ANAK TV SEAL. The seal can now be displayed during the airing of the
program as a guide to parents and educators that the program has been
screened not just by the industry or a government institution but by a thick
layer of stakeholders, not only in Metro-Manila but nationwide.
It is hoped that teachers and parents will rally behind the chosen programs,
encouraging children to view them, increasing popular viewership, which will
hopefully translate to better revenues for such responsibly-made programs.
The ANAK TV SEAL, the seal of family-friendly programs, is unprecedented in
Southeast Asian television history. It is envisioned that other countries,
with TV industries suffering similar challenges as the Philippines, will
follow suit and create their own national juries to protect children from
smut, inanities, media violence, cultural decay and crass commercialism. In
2000, there were only 15 winners. By 2002, the number had already risen to
29 ANAK TV SEAL winners. In 2003, a bumper harvest of 45 programs were
declared family friendly.
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