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Netizens Up In Arms After Discovering That PH Government-Run Radio Station Has a ‘Wow China’ Segment

You wouldn’t think that a radio station named the patriotic Radyo Pilipinas would air pro-China propaganda, but according to quite a few netizens, that’s exactly what’s happening. Yesterday, the phrase ‘Wow China’ trended on social media after people discovered that the government-run AM radio station Radyo Pilipinas has a pro-China segment called Wow China. Folks were not pleased, to say the least. Here’s what you need to know.

 

What is Wow China?

“Wow China” is the fruit of collaboration between China Radio International (a state-owned Chinese broadcaster based in Beijing) and Radyo Pilipinas, which operates under the Philippine Communications Group. The show aims to promote Chinese culture and help Filipinos “get to know their Chinese brothers”. And while there’s nothing wrong with learning about other cultures, it’s not hard to see why the show’s very existence has rubbed the majority of the Filipino internet the wrong way.

Wow China’s official Facebook page has been up since December 2019, but it was only yesterday that most Filipinos became aware of the show, after a two-week-old Facebook post from Radyo Pilipinas went viral for all the wrong reasons.

 

Is this Chinese propaganda?

Some netizens are calling the show a platform for Chinese propaganda. Now that might seem like a strong word to some, but sometimes you just gotta call a spade a spade.

 

Salt on a wound

You don’t need to be a PR expert to see that airing a pro-China segment on a government radio station is bound to piss people off. See: the controversy in the West Philippine Sea and China’s Nine-Dash Line; POGOs; the COVID-19 pandemic, etc.

 

Meanwhile at ABS-CBN…

Some compared the situation to ABS-CBN’s recent shutdown, saying that the refusal to renew ABS-CBN’s franchise while promoting China just goes to show where the government’s loyalties lie.

 

Is this a good way to spend our taxes?

If “Wow China” had been aired on a private station, it definitely wouldn’t have drawn as much flak as it did. What most people seem to be taking issue with is that this pro-China show is using Filipino resources (i.e. our taxes).

This isn’t the first time

Back in 2018, the PCOO defended the planned airing of Tagalog-dubbed Chinese shows and movies over PTV, a state-run television network PTV. Then-Communications Secretary Martin Andanar pointed that PTV had also aired Koreanovelas and Japanese content, so the public shouldn’t have a problem with Chinese content being aired on the PTV.

 

People are taking action

To make their sentiments heard by the powers-that-be, netizens have been calling on each other to leave negative reviews, comments, and/or report the page.

And it looks like people have been doing that in droves.

 

See it for yourself

As of this writing, the viral Facebook post has over 19,000 reactions — 18,000 of which are “angry” reactions. There are over 9,000 comments, most of which read like this:

Read the room, guys.

 

What do you think about the Wow China controversy? Sound off in the comments below!

 

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Though a chronic dabbler in whatever tickles her fancy, Cristina claims she can count her passions on one hand: feminism, literature, the environment, cat videos, and the power of a solid pop song. She lives in Uniqlo lounge pants and refuses to leave the house without a winged eye.

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