Silencing ABS CBN is Silencing Filipinos

Posted on May 6, 2020

Written by

Jude Thaddeus L. Bautista

Disbelief and fear were going through me as I watched Alvin Elchico and a tearful Doris Bigornia say their goodbyes in the last moments of the DZMM telecast. On the net, videos have sprung up of some viewers crying or in shock as they went off the air the evening of May 5, 2020. The sign off was in compliance to a cease and desist order from the National Telecommunications Commission order sent earlier in the afternoon.

HANGGANG SA MULI. Naging emosyonal si Doris Bigornia nang magpasalamat at magpaalam ito sa programang S.R.O. nila ni Alvin Elchico sa DZMM ngayong Martes ng gabi.
Pinatitigil ng NTC ang broadcast operations ng ABS-CBN dahil napaso na ang prangkisa nito. #ABSCBNFranchise pic.twitter.com/OgkmvlOpiF
— DZMM TeleRadyo (@DZMMTeleRadyo) May 5, 2020

DZMM Vital Link

I have to say I’m not a regular listener but Ted Failon, Alvin Elchico, Ka Tonying (Anthony Taberna), Noli De Castro, et al have become regular fixtures in our house since the lockdown. 2 weeks into the ECQ, our newspaper subscriptions to Philippine Daily Inquirer and Philippine Star, suddenly stopped. We had a neighborhood newspaper distributor whom we couldn’t seek out for obvious reasons. So the different DZMM news shows on TV became our vital link for news and information especially during this time of a global pandemic. And the government has ordered everyone to stay home.

The newspapers returned today after about a month of not being delivered and I felt their absence. Even if I was still trying to read articles online, it wasn’t the same as holding the physical paper in your hands. We’re still lucky here where we live in Manila, there’s cable television, a fast, reliable internet connection.

Our newspapers were delivered again on May 4, 2020 after a month long absence from our delivery boy.

Reliable Information

But the almost hourly news shows from DZMM, USAPANG KALYE etc. where they interview different government agencies, sometimes as regular part of the show in the case of DILG USec Jonathan Malaya of KUWENTUHANG LOKAL with Jay Ruiz and Ka Tonying were all especially essential.

A lot of the financial and or food aid from the government are coursed through the LGUs. Knowing what to do, or how to get them (aid) can change on a daily basis. So the shows play a vital role in helping enlighten and inform especially our kababayan (countrymen) who are in desperate need. This is apart from how to best avoid the COVID-19 disease and the accompanying regulations like the need for the wearing of masks in public places.

The fact that the news shows are aired on BOTH radio and TV multiplies the reach of audiences. Radio is still very much the medium that a lot of our poorer or needier countrymen rely on for reliable news and information. Not to mention the proliferation of fake news online. IN THIS time of global pandemic, knowledge and accurate information can mean the difference between saving lives… or losing them. The reach of radio goes far beyond urban areas and is relied upon by people in the provinces as well, not necessarily in the National Capital Region.

SO THE FUNCTION of what ABS CBN does as a media organization, as conveyor of news and information can never be overemphasized. That function and need is even more critical now more than ever in a crisis situation. IN ONE fell swoop all that is gone, silenced.

ABS-CBN’s Jeff Canoy and Chiara Zambrano received the award on September 27, 2018 in Palm Beach, Cannes, France. Photo by Gretchen Malalad for ABS-CBN News

Chiara Quarantined

Before we’ve been told to honor our front liners, Chiara Zambrano is the very definition of a front liner. She’s a war correspondent covering everything from the Marawi Seige to the conflict in the South China Sea. In 2018 Chiara and Jeff Canoy were honored by Cannes :‘on the Marawi siege bagged the Gold Dolphin for Best Documentary under the Current Affairs, Human Concerns, and Social Issues Category at the 9th Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards in France.’

Unfortunately Chiara and her team had to be quarantined possibly as a safety precaution during their coverage of this pandemic. It comes as no surprise that she would sacrifice herself to get the story as she always has. Instead of honoring her, assisting her and many other reporters who put themselves at risk the government shuts the whole station down. Zambrano and Canoy have been honored in France more than their own government, their own countrymen whom they’ve served and sacrificed so much for.

The NEED is Great

People are starving, most of the population subsists on a no-work, no pay scheme. Hence the government financial aids from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). In Metro Manila alone there is an estimated 11 million population, a majority of which is unable to feed themselves because of the quarantine. SO understandably there will always be a large section who have yet to receive those very necessary government aid. The need is enormously great.

ABS CBN has always used their reach of audiences for various fundraising, since way back. Examples include relief for Yolanda Typhoon, Bohol Earthquake victims and the latest disaster of the Taal Volcano eruption last January 2020. Through decades they’ve built a reputation of being able to collate donations and delivering help to those who desperately need it, in the most efficient and quickest way possible.

Isang malaking karangalan na kami’y inyong pinatuloy sa inyong mga tahanan at naging karamay ninyo sa saya, lungkot, at tagumpay.
Nawala man kami sa himpapawid, umaasa kaming patuloy ninyo pa rin kaming patutuluyin bilang inyong mga Kapamilya. pic.twitter.com/idBOJFSYgm
— TV Patrol (@TVPatrol) May 5, 2020

For the covid pandemic quarantine period, their program is called PANTAWID NG PAG IBIG. So far, their claim of providing food and packages to 600,000 families or almost 2 million people is very much believable. They were in the process of helping more people until they were deliberately made to sign off tonight.

For every day that they’re off the air, the government / NTC’s cease and desist order is very conceivably denying thousands of Filipinos food packages they would have otherwise received. For THAT reason alone, I don’t understand how the NTC can mindlessly issue that order.

On the seventh season of “Dayaw” on the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) starting on September 19 (2019), Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda once again shares the stories of these unsung heroes, who silently yet passionately protect our national identity by preserving our and traditions. Photo from:
https://www.abs-cbn.com/newsroom/news-releases/2019/9/5/dayaw-brings-back-bearers-of-culture-for-seven?lang=en

DAYAW

Its NOT just NEWS, they produce countless TV shows. Since I mostly write about the cultural sector, their content from it has gotten my attention. For example the show DAYAW aired on ANC is particularly praiseworthy. In one episode the show featured National Living Treasures Awardee Lang Dulay for her contributions as T’Nalak weaver. Dulay passed away in 2015. But her contributions as well as other National Living Treasures Awardees are featured in the show. To quote ‘Filipino heritage is alive and well through the efforts of our “bearers of culture,” individuals who have made it their mission to teach indigenous dance, song or chant, and skills for the future generations to inherit.” From: “Dayaw” brings back ‘bearers of culture’ for seventh season on ANC

Conceptualized (and hosted) by former Senator Loren Legarda, DAYAW helps more Filipinos, more people, to be aware of the Philippines’ rich indigenous and traditional culture while helping to preserve it. Legarda was also a former reporter and newscaster for ABS CBN in her younger days. DAYAW has a longer term benefit to Philippines and the world by helping preserve our country’s history and native culture. NO ONE can measure the value and contribution of that especially in the decades to come.

ANC-NCCA Dayaw Episode 4: “Hinabing Kasaysayan ng mga Kababaihan”

That’s just one show, they also have the KNOWLEDGE Channel which aims to provide educational type shows especially to remote areas that lack materials or visual aids. IF I were to list down how their shows positively affect people’s lives, I wouldn’t be able to finish this article.

Contributions Outweigh

By no means is ABS CBN a blameless organization, far from it. They’ve had their own pitfalls. The most glaring one that comes to my mind is the ULTRA tragedy, where a stampede led to 80 deaths or so. It stemmed from one of their shows: WOWOWEE by host Willie Revillame. Reparations were made to victims’ families. Since then they’ve turned a leaf paying a lot of attention to safety in any event related to their organization.

There was also a more conscious effort to affecting society in a more positive way. Although their child protection program was organized long before the aforementioned incident. BANTAY BATA, organized by the late Gina Lopez, is possibly the most successful of its kind in the country. BANTAY BATA is a hotline number anyone can call to report child abuse cases. Given all this, ABS CBN’s functions and benefits to society far outweigh whatever ‘misdeeds’ they’ve committed in the past.

TINGNAN: Fishers group na Pamalakaya, ipinapanawagan ang pag-ere muli ng ABS-CBN
Photo from: https://twitter.com/DZMMTeleRadyo
| via
@joycebalancio
#ABSCBNfranchise

Compelled to Write

As a writer, I’ve made a conscious effort of being constructive, less critical of the government during this time of crisis. But the loss of ABS CBN as a media organization and their positive effects, their contributions have compelled me to write.

A lot has been said about the threat to freedom of the press, freedom of expression and it’s all true. If the government can shut down a broadcast station that communicates to millions of Filipinos here and across the globe, what chance do I have as a writer for a personal blog? What chance does a newspaper have? What’s going to happen next? Democracy isn’t something you think about until something like this happens.

When you silence ABS CBN, you’re not just silencing one TV station. Essentially because of their many shows that exhibit all the facets of Filipino life, culture, as well as essential news and information in a crisis situation, you’re silencing the Filipino voice as well.

TINGNAN: St. La Salle Hall sa De La Salle University, inilawan ng mga kulay ng ABS-CBN bilang panawagan sa NTC na bigyan ng provisional authority ang Kapamilya network.
Photo from: https://twitter.com/DZMMTeleRadyo
#ABSCBNFranchise | via
@jeffreyhernaez

WATCH: In US, San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa supports ABS-CBN | via Henni Espinosa #ABSCBNFranchise

WATCH: In US, San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa supports ABS-CBN | via Henni Espinosa #ABSCBNFranchise pic.twitter.com/Y2veMPoMwg
— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) May 6, 2020

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