As far as we know, the television firmament in the Philippines is populated not only by the Kapamilya and Kapuso networks. There is, thankfully, an entire universe to choose from. There are dozens of free TV stations on the UHF and VHF band. And then there is cable. That is a wonderful fact we keep telling friends and would-be advocates.

It is no different from getting sick and tired of products that splurge scandalous amounts in advertising, which at the end of the day, try to win back their investments by padding the costs and passing these on to hapless consumers like us.

At Anak TV, we tell people that there are choices for every product or service in the market. Brands that prefer to put their money in advocacies such as ours, rather than in expensive advertising efforts, should get back their sound investments through our faithful patronage.

It is the same way with television.

One Saturday morning, just to feel good, we tuned in to and stayed glued on New Era Television (NET) 25. It was a morning well spent. It was also a welcome respite from the advertising congestion and the inane messaging mess that characterizes most other channels.

The channel featured programming that was unpretentious, one that sprang from the heart.

For those wondering what NET’s tagline, "Feed your Mind" really means, lingering around the channel will answer your questions. They recently started a new channel devoted to religious programming and haranguing, finally clearing the station of clutter that did not belong.

We were particularly gratified with ‘’The Planet’’ (an Anak TV Seal awardee), a light and engaging one hour show that begins punctually at 10 a.m.

That morning, the show took us on a whirl of gadgets, art, science, tourism, cinema and lifestyle. Three hosts tied the seemingly disparate topics together punctuating the program with little known tidbits and harmless trivia. (For those tuning in, be amply warned. The hosts’ Americanized twang can be a slight put off but since they don’t stay too long on air, that uncomfortable bit of pretense can be glossed over. It did not help that they were doing their spiels inside a hardware store for some not too subtle commercial endorsement of the establishment. It certainly looked odd that when they talked about art, lamps and light fixtures on sale was the backdrop.)

Now back to the show.

Singapore’s Esplanade keeps a well-known delightful secret. One of the attractions of the durianshaped landmark is its walls accented with the flags of 120 countries, all rendered using human hair collected from salons all over the world! The Pinoy anchor asked the question we ached to raise: Did they even get Filipino hair from the floors of any parlor in the Philippines to fashion our flag?

And speaking of hair, the show reminded us that the hair is a storehouse of one’s genetic codes, even a crown of power. Citing the Scriptures, the feature talks of Samson whose physical strength resided in his abundant locks.

A peek into the future of commerce and transportation came by way of the Segway, a versatile one-man vehicle that takes away the fatigue and exhaustion from walking and running from one point to another. To aid the viewer interested in knowing more about the unique trolley, ‘’The Planet’’ thoughtfully flashed the Segway website at the end of the segment. That was a helpful gesture, we thought.

The feature on Fernando Sena and his humble contribution to the nation’s artistic growth was also highlighted. Sena, heretofore known for running arts classes for in-school and out-of-school kids, also organizes sessions for enthusiasts and retirees, just to spread the art bug all over.

A testimonial from a lady, who proudly showed off her masterpiece, cajoles her fellow women retirees to take up art for the relaxation and fulfillment it brings. What took our breath away was the wonder child student of Sena’s who recently mounted her first solo exhibit at the Philippine Children’s Medical Center. She sold 28 of her 50 featured works. Certainly not bad for a greenhorn.

To jazz up the program, the time-tested showbizzy formula had to be thrown in. That morning, ‘’The Planet’’ promoted ‘’Crash,’’ a Hollywood flick starring Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser, Sandra Bullock and Don Cheadle. The stellar line up was not too bad, and the video clips were truly riveting. However, for a show purporting to feed the mind, ‘’Crash’’, a picture that was not too family-friendly, was a mediocre choice.

To round up the program, the production team creatively positioned the male host amid an array of hardware gadgetry to plug another Anak TV Seal winner, ‘’New Yankee Workshop.’’ Nothing creative and team-spirited like this seen in other channels for a long time. In many other channels, it is a competition even among themselves.

And how did we feel after the quick hour of ‘’The Planet’’ was over?

Refreshed!