Do Filipinos still read comic books?

Let's start with this news article, one of several, found in the internet:

Comic Book Hero Spreads Counterterrorism Message

By Stew Magnuson

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — One of the unique products used in psychological operations in the southern Philippines is the comic book “Barbargsa — Blood of the Honorable.”

About 600,000 copies of the 10-part series have been distributed on the Sulu islands, a chain that was once a terrorist safe haven, and still suffers from skirmishes.

U.S. special operations forces have used comic books in information campaigns. But the characters were based on well-known American superheroes. Two years ago, two Army officers decided to create one from scratch to tell the children of the Sulu islands the story of what was happening in their homeland.

The project was the brainchild of Maj. Edward Lopacienski, military information support team commander for the joint special operations task force Philippines mission, and the non-commissioned officer in charge, Master Sgt. Russell Snyder.

The pair sat down in January 2006 and outlined the basic idea.

The plot follows several basic comic book storyline conventions — most notably the battle between good and evil.

The comic book focuses on Ameer, who left his home island to work overseas, but returns to find it racked with violence. Ameer is a practitioner of kuntao, which is a local form of martial arts. Like Zorro or Batman, he dons a mask and vows to protect the downtrodden and innocent victims of terrorists.

The Philippines military are also portrayed in a positive and heroic light while the villains are the terrorists or “bandits.” The creators were careful to accurately illustrate the Sulu region, and use character names, clothing and mannerisms that reflect the culture of the Tausug ethnic group. There are versions in English and in the local dialect.

It depicts real events that took place on the islands and at neighboring Basilan — specifically the Sulu Co-Op bombing in March 2006, which killed five and injured 40 and the Basilan hostage crisis when members of the Abu Sayyaf Group took school children and used them as human shields against Filipino troops.

“Essentially what we’re doing is showing all the atrocities that the Abu Sayyaf Group has done,” Lopacienski said.

One subplot shows how terrorists manipulate a boy into becoming a bomber.

The production of the comic book was farmed out to a Manila-based marketing firm. Two experts on Tausug culture were brought in as consultants to make sure nothing offensive was put in, and that everything was culturally accurate. It took about 2,000 hours to create the 10 comic books.

“In the end you see the hero and the community rising up to turn over the terrorists,” Lopacienski said.

It was important that the series be reproduced on high-quality paper as slick as any graphic novel found in U.S. bookshelves, he said, because that shows respect to the culture.

Lopacienski said there is anecdotal evidence of the comic book’s popularity. When some areas missed delivery due to security concerns, children “were ripping out the pages and trading them like baseball cards,” he said.

Local stores have printed unauthorized T-shirts portraying the hero Ameer."

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And in other news, you will recall that during the 2007 local elections, comic books were used by many politicians to inform people about themselves and their platform of government. One controversial incident stood out concerning former actress VILMA SANTOS-RECTO when she ran for governor of Batangas. Her close rival was her brother-in-law who then, didn't approve of her running for the position. What followed was a surreal word war between the two camps and the medium used was--you guessed it--comic books. Eventually the two camps patched up their differences, the brother-in-law gave way, and the more popular Vilma ran for governor and got elected.

There are so many other news reports of FREE and VOLUMINOUS comic books being distributed all around the country by private individuals, government, religious and non-government institutions that effectively belie the notion that Filipinos, particularly the majority of low-income Filipinos, don't read printed comic books anymore. So you have to ask, WHO exactly, are the people asking these questions?

You will find that the culprits are usually those who think that comic books are those that are being distributed FOR SALE commercially and in large quantities in the mainstream market. And what is happening in the mainstream market right now? Most of the comics are expensive, english-language licensed reprints of American and Japanese comics and cartoons or are "inspired" by them selling from a low of Php 75 to Php 100, have low circulation and whose audience are primarily those with upper-income, westernized tastes.

On the fringe, you will find some local comics made by so-called "indies" whose printed product primarily target the same upper-income, westernized audience, have low circulation, are hard to find, and though sometimes priced below Php 75 (i.e. Php 50) are not within the reach of the common low-income Filipino reader. These "indie" comics primarily use the English language and though they may on occasion use a pinch of Filipino slang, illustrate an aspect of Filipino life and culture in our country, all these are minor background to the largely westernized themes and stories that they consciously adopt in their beloved works of art.

Yet, these people whine and pine: "why aren't comic books being read by Filipinos?". Layered beneath that cry of anguish is the translation: "why aren't Filipinos reading my globalized comics?" The answer to that is pretty obvious. But when you confront them with it, they shake their head in denial and continue to do what they're doing. When you suggest that they target the wider, low-income market, create more variations in their subject matter and not be limited to trivial, inoffensive sanitized "entertainment", be more Filipino, and think more like businessmen instead of awestruck fanboys and fangirls, they look at you like a wide-eyed deer caught by the car's headlight as if you're coming from Mars or Jupiter.

They fortify their denial with a litany of cockamamie defenses: there's no profit when you sell to the low-income, we don't know and don't like to get a loan, we're just doing this because we "love" it, we're just doing this because its "art", its a personal hobby, none of your business its what I "chose" to do and I'm unaccountable to no one. Then when reality dawns on them and find that they have a small limited audience, they later complain: "Why don't people respect artists? Why does society look down on comics and comics art? Why don't FIlipinos read comic books anymore? Why isn't there a local comics industry?"

Tragi-comic as always. But now you know why Filipinos don't read and buy THEIR comic books.