Why Filipinos Play Videos Out Loud

One afternoon on a jeep in UP Diliman, I found myself involuntarily watching, or rather, listening to a teleserye episode playing from the phone of the passenger beside me.

- By NOREEN H. SAPALO

The volume was so loud that soon everyone in the jeep knew that the bida had just discovered her husband’s secret. By the time the jeep reached Vinzons Hall, I found myself craning my neck to catch a glimpse of the screen. Nobody in the jeep complained. In fact, a few students chuckled and exchanged sly smiles.

Scenes like this are common. In barangay halls, waiting sheds, and even in the market, we hear YouTube videos, vlogs, and TikTok music blaring from a speaker. For many, this is simply background noise. For others, it’s a daily irritation - one more layer of noise in our already noise-polluted cities. The usual question in everyone’s head is: “Why can’t they just wear earphones?”