It is very telling when government TV networks, financed by our cumbersome’taxes, are unable to produce quality programs for, by and about children, choosing instead to use available funds and precious airtime to broadcast shows that promote administration programs, the more inane and incredulous, the better to feature on primetime.

Such behavior proves that the priority is for the here and now, for the preservation of self, rather than the more altruistic forecasting for the next generation or the fashioning of shows that will prepare the Filipino child for the world.

Could it be irresponsibility or immaturity? Short-sightedness or ruthlessness? Sheer greed or indifference?

The reason often given is something that resembles the way a warped phonograph spins: No funds. No funds. No funds.

It is as if money, and not drive, impetus, nor the most fundamental love for motherland, is all that is needed to fill in the chasm created by the demise of "Batibot," and other noteworthy children’s programs like "Sineskwela," "MathTinik" and "Hirayamanawari," each one consigned to oblivion due to the apparent indifference of their home networks and the shameful priorities of advertisers.

Whichever it is, the next generation of Filipinos is predicted to be an unforgiving and faceless one. They will meet their contemporaries in other countries with question marks on their foreheads, wondering what culture really means, beyond stick-drawing and folk dancing; clueless about what it is to be Pinoy because he was fed a diet of Western lore and was exposed incessantly to alien trends; stupid about the ways and languages of the East where he was physically born and bred. Still little, still brown, still flat nosed, still with the curious English accent but with virtually nothing in the Pinoy culture and heritage department that will at least make him stand out in a crowd of equally little, brown, flat-nosed Orientals.

The above assessment surfaced after a cursory survey of the landscape of children’s television programming in the Philippines, a requested study by the Asian Media Information and Information Center. The study hopes to obtain a clear picture of children’s TV trends in certain Asian countries and how local broadcasting toes the line relative to the observance of children rights.

In most Asian countries, the government broadcast station acts as the public broadcasting service entity and faithfully produces materials for children. We are afraid that after the AMIC study is matrixed, the Philippines will stand out prominently as one that makes a lot of noise in entertainment and politics but is deafeningly silent in the area of children’s programming.

And the only convenient alibi we can muster is that there are no funds earmarked yet for such activity.

We ask: Could it be because children are not voters? Parents, who are qualified to vote, should therefore take serious heed.