Richard Gomez: Govt caused ABS-CBN shutdown, must address issue

MANILA, Philippines — It might be better if those from the government will address the issue on media network ABS-CBN’s closure since they are the ones responsible for it, Ormoc City Mayor and actor Richard Gomez said Thursday.

“Nako, baka mas maganda yata kayo sasagot niyan dahil kayo sa gobyerno ang nagpahinto sa pag-broadcast ng ABS-CBN,” Gomez said when asked to comment  comment on the network’s franchise renewal issue during the Laging Handa briefing.

(Maybe it’s better if you answer that since you from the government were the ones who stopped ABS-CBN’s broadcast.)

Gomez said he hopes the network’s closure is only temporary, and expressed concern over his colleagues in the entertainment industry who are under a “no work, no pay” scheme.

“Pero ang akin naman, ang take ko, nakakalungkot isipin na temporary, hopefully temporary yung pagsara sa ABS-CBN dahil napakarami pong tao ang nagtatrabaho diyan and marami akong mga kaibigan na artista na nagtatrabaho sa ABS-CBN,” Gomez said.

(I hope ABS-CBN’s closure is only temporary because a lot of people lost their jobs and I have a lot of friends in the industry who are working in ABS-CBN.)

“Alam naman natin na ang artista kapag walang trabaho, wala rin kikitain. Yung trabaho namin, per day kami, although depende sa artista, may malaki na artista, may maliit na artista. Pero yung manner ng trabaho at sahod namin, pare pareho lang. No work, no pay,” he further said.

(We all know that if an actor does not work, they also don’t have income. Our work is on a per-day basis, but it varies since there are major actors, minor actors. But the manner and income of our work, it’s the same. No work, no pay.)

ABS-CBN went off the air Tuesday night in compliance with the National Telecommunications Commission’s (NTC) order to stop its broadcast operations after its legislative franchise expired on May 4.

GSG