On May 5th, the National Telecommunications Commission issued a cease and desist order against ABS-CBN. It was issued on the basis of the expiration of its congressional franchise.
The order effectively shut down the country’s largest TV network.
Actor Coco Martin has been vocal in opposing the move by NTC. In a Facebook Live event last May 8, he questioned the decisions of the government.
“Sabi ko, anong klaseng taong ‘to? Sa gitna ng pandemya, sa gitna ng nangyayari sa ating bansa, nauna niyo pang isipin ipasara ang ABS-CBN kaysa tugunan ang lahat ng pangangailangan ng ating bansa?” he said.
[I said, what kind of people are they? In the middle of a pandemic, in the middle of everything that’s happening to our country, they thought of shutting down ABS-CBN instead of answering to all the other needs of our country?]
“Ngayon po, ano po bang uunahin natin ngayon? Tanggalin ang kumpanya na tumutulong sa ating kapwa, sa lahat ng mga Pilipino? O ‘yung sugal na pinapasok sa ating bansa?
Buti pa ‘yung POGO, diba, pinaglalaban ‘nyo,” the actor continued.
[At this time, what are we going to prioritize? Remove the company that helps others, helps Filipinos? Or the gambling that has entered our country? The POGOs are lucky, you are fighting for them.
]
He continued the sentiment on an Instagram post, directly responding to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque’s justification that POGOs benefit the country more than ABS-CBN.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_92mWcA0ik/
(Coco Martin enraged over ABS-CBN shutdown: “Tinatarantado ninyo ang mga pilipino!”)
“Paano po hindi maikukumpara ang POGO sa pagpapasara ng ABS-CBN?” he questioned. [How can we not compare POGOs to the ABS-CBN shutdown?]
“Ang pagpapapasok niyo ng POGO dito sa ating bansa ay ang pagbibigay ng trabaho sa madaming dayuhang Chinese,” his caption reads. “Ang pagpapasarado po ng ABS-CBN ay pagtatanggal ng trabaho sa maraming manggagawang Pilipino.”
[Your introduction of POGOs to our country has given employment to many Chinese foreigners. The closing of ABS-CBN is the removal of employment for many Filipinos.
]
“Tama naman ho kayo, magkaiba nga.. kasi ang dayuhang Chinese nabibigyan ng trabaho, samantalang kami pong kapwa niyo Pilipino tinanggalan niyo ng hanapbuhay.”
[You’re right, they are different… because the Chinese foreigners are given jobs, while us fellow Filipinos have had our livelihoods taken away.]
“Matanong ko lang po bakit minamadali natin ibalik ang Pogo samantalang ang pagsusugal ngayon sa kalye ay pinagbabawal?” Martin ends his post.
[I just want to ask why we are hurrying the return of POGOs while gambling on the street is now prohibited?]
What do you think about this?
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