The ABS-CBN network said in a statement regarding the controversy over its newest fantaserye (fantasy series) last night that the title of the show was “not in any way intended to malign or to disrespect beliefs of Indigenous Peoples’ communities.”
The network posted the statement on the Instagram account of Star Creatives, the network’s creative department.
They explained that the production team came up with the name after “intensive research” to determine the usage of a Filipino term that embodies a “champion who fights for the common good of his tribe or family — someone who is brave, honorable, self-sacrificing and good-hearted.”
The statement was issued in response to concerns raised over the usage of the word “Bagani” from several indigenous tribes from Mindanao.
“Being a Bagani does not only mean ‘to have exemplary fighting skills,’ but to be able to defend the people from colonizers and entities who are robbing us from our identity,” the tribes’ spokesperson Melissa Claire Icdang Barrera said during a press conference yesterday.
READ: Indigenous groups call out misuse of word ‘Bagani’ in upcoming TV series
“It’s not a word you can just use lightly,” she said.
The group suggested that if the story could not be re-written to use the word more appropriately, they ask that the word not be used, or a disclaimer be placed at the beginning of the show.
This is the second time the show has taken heat from netizens. It was first hit last month for its casting of fair-skinned Filipinos to play characters in a story that was supposed to be based on Philippine folklore.
ABS-CBN said in their statement: “To be clear, the ‘Bagani’ fantaserye doesn’t purport itself to be a historical account of Philippine history or culture. The program has always maintained that it has created an alternative fictional universe with elements of Filipino mythology and folklore that simply serves as an avenue to creatively deliver and highlight Filipino values, beliefs, and heroism.”
