Piaya tells tales from Bacolod & beyond

MANILA, Philippines – The Piaya Network is a new player in the field of broadcast entertainment. As its name suggests, it is airing all the way from Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, where actors Susan Roces and Joel Torre and director Peque Gallaga hailed from. 

The network presents tales from the south (Bacolod and beyond) and adds to the cultural discourse about Philippine lifestyle.

“Piaya represents Negros. Nowhere you can find piyaya (unleavened flatbread filled with muscovado, mango or purple yam) except in Negros,” network board member Tony Aguirre told members of the media during Piaya’s recent press conference. “We started just like a backyard project.”

Initially, it had students with the passion for the arts, particularly filmmaking, and production work. From there, the team acquired equipment and talents — both amateur and professionals — to deliver more content that is tailored fit to the locality. Tony’s son, Anthony Leo Aguirre, is the brains behind the network, which was launched in 2014 and viewed on Sky Cable’s Channel 35.

“I think our edge is that we’re not being constrained by a lot of corporate issues like (someone is saying) this production is expensive — bakit ganito,” replied Leo, a Mass Communication student, when asked about the excitement of putting up a network from the ground up, so to speak. “(Everything) is just free-flowing and I have a good control of (the list of funds of) the production — hindi sila nasasakal. If they want to extend, I give them the extension.”

As for the network’s presence in its immediate community and nearby provinces, Leo reported, “We’re getting an OK income from the local market... The response is solid because first of all, the schools are well-tapped like San Agustin, LCC and La Salle and even high schools. I have good coordination with them. They have their own fair share of indie shorts that are shown in our network. So all of them watch (their works).”

Sitting as the network’s board member and president, Leo is open to new ideas and new collaborators — who like to work with him and his team — in coming up with content. “I’m open. I tried a lot of people, who never had short films under their belt. If I like the idea, (I will say) let’s go ahead with it,” he said. “We’re actually producing right now an alternate history TV series. It doesn’t have a working title yet.” Also in the pipeline is a TV series to be headed by Jay Abello.

Looking at Piaya’s programming, one can see a unique and interesting entertainment fare, narrated from different perspectives.

“Ang laki ng variations ng lahat. (There’s) Festival Junkie,” shared Leo. “They (the hosts) (go to) festivals and parties in Boracay and around Visayas. Even the director is part of the show. The other variations (include) the anti-sex trafficking show, which is coming from the student’s perspective.” Thus, the approach in storytelling is democratic, but it still observes rules in what is “acceptable” to be seen in visual narratives. Based on the program descriptions given to the media, one can say that Piaya carries talk content like A Listed (business persons, political leaders and inspiring personalities engage in a forum) and The Real Talk (good source of the latest talks on entertainment, sports, politics, health, business, among others). There’s also L:  Live, Laugh, Love which helps televiewers discover how to live life to the fullest. Another is the podcast-talk show Straight No Chaser, which tackles all types of random and interesting things.

Travel N’ Taste (program replete with eye-opening adventures and satisfying dishes), Backpacker Adventures (which is on the look out for interesting local folks and unique beauty across the Negros Islands) and Food Infinity (that explores the city streets in search for one-of-a-kind eating) sit well with those looking for and craving for travel and food content. These can be complemented with Project Negros, which presents the people, industries and products of Negros province. 

Young viewers will find delight in SmArts, where they learn how to make decorations, home designs and art pieces.

Getting into the Negrense life is Piaya Documentaries, exposing the plights, aspirations and daily struggles of our kababayan in Negros. The shows are presented in the vernacular (languages of the people) with sub-titles.

Given the vibrant art scene in Bacolod City, the idea of creating an independent network is a natural progression. “Our culture there (in Bacolod) is very laidback and very relaxed, which is conducive environment for the arts,” said chief legal officer lawyer JR Gumabon. “In fact, we have a lot of galleries and museums. Production is also a huge part of the life of our students... Bacolod City and the Bacolod people love the arts. We love storytelling and we hang out in cafés all afternoon, exchanging stories, sharing ideas and sharing everything.” According to JR, he and other friends joined Piaya for they share Leo’s vision — that Bacolod is a center for the arts.

With the initiative to advance the network’s reach through Cignal Cable Channel 56, Piaya is envisioned to become a national platform, “a voice for Visayas and Mindanao — and that center is in Bacolod,” as JR put it. “(It’s) a new player from the province, from the Visayas representing the voice of the south (and) also presenting the voice of the Philippines,” he added.