By Hip Mama

ABS-CBN has signed off and suddenly I feel so insignificant. I am an ordinary citizen. I am not a politician and I am not polarized. I have no affiliation and don’t care to have one. And right now, I am angry.

I prefer to think that government looks out for the common good, and it’s not happening. What needs to be threshed out between the network management and government has been an ongoing concern for years so why the urgency to pull the plug now? What were the hearings for – if not to allow the two parties to thresh out issues? CEO Carlo Katigbak has already committed to straightening the mess. With so many jobs lost and industries keeling over, why furlough over 11,000 during a crisis? And mind you, it’s not just employees and their families that will feel the brunt. Providers of food, transportation, clothing, and shelter – mostly small entities stand to lose their source of income as well. Being jobless robs one of a sense of fulfillment – do we expect these productively engaged people to adopt a mendicant attitude?

What is just or equitable is not always humanitarian. Does this mean that government can afford to put more burden on an amelioration program that is already costing us to bleed economically? Are leaders bereft of IQ and EQ, or at its most basic, good old common sense?

ABS-CBN and ANC have become staples over the years – and those faces on the tube don’t know me but I feel for them deeply. I loved the musicals, the telenovelas, and laughed at Vice Ganda who inspires with comedy that is so real, it kept us grounded. And who could forget Gina Lopez whose loss is still painful to lives she has touched.

We need news and entertainment obviously to get us through this painful season. OFWs and those permanently residing abroad are always thirsty for updates from faces they trust. Not everyone has the means for gadgets and wifi but almost all families have television sets. In some areas, ABS-CBN is the only channel available. Who cares about the mental health and amusement of those whose only connection to the outside world during quarantine is TV? Certainly not NTC.

On a personal note, I am so grateful that they featured my (then) 5 year old daughter with Downs Syndrome some 13 years ago (gosh has it been that long)? Viewers saw up close and personal that children like Angela are not that different – just a bit more special with that extra chromosome. My eldest daughter, Timmy, a reluctant talent had walk-on parts on the shows of Kris Aquino and Aiko. We were thrilled but the kid was not, so a star was not born! Closer to home, ABS-CBN people are true friends… and Kapamilya.

That this comes at the heels of the PhilHealth fiasco which increased contributions to 3% of hard-earned income is condemnable. What message is government sending? It should be a beacon of light in the midst of fear and confusion. It should not add to the darkness. One of my fondest childhood memories is watching B & W television (Radiowealth) with my family – and neighborhood children we opened our doors to. No cable, no smartphone, and no Netflix but we were fine. Hopefully, when the dust clears, ABS-CBN will be back on air and this will all be just a bad plot we can recover from.

PS: Whether or not the people’s outcry against the irrational action of ABS-CBN’s closure made a difference or whether cooler minds prevailed, NTC has allowed ABS-CBN to operate until June 2022.

#istandwithABSCBN

#NoToABSCBNShutdown

THE FEELENNIAL DIARIES

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I stand with ABS-CBN

THE FEELENNIAL DIARIES

All Columns

I stand with ABS-CBN