Kim Chiu calls out Calida, NTC on ABS-CBN shutdown: ‘Nasaan po ang puso nyo?!’
Kim Chiu questioned the timing of the decision to shut down ABS-CBN as the coronavirus pandemic rages on. Image: Facebook/@KimChiufnpage
Actress Kim Chiu vented her outrage after ABS-CBN was ordered to halt operations on Tuesday, May 5.
When ABS-CBN went off-air, Chiu said via Instagram that it was “probably the saddest day on television history.”
Today, the actress not only expressed her heartbreak on Instagram but also questioned the timing of the decision in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_3zC4jJI7C/
She also directed statements directly at the National Telecommunications Commission and Solicitor General Jose Calida.
“Sa lahat ng namumuno ng NTC??? Bakit!!!?” she wondered. “WALANG NILABAG NA BATAS ang [ABS-CBN]. Anong nangyari sa oath nyo nung [March] 2020?! Nakalimutan nyo na?”
(To all the leaders of NTC??? Why!!!? ABS-CBN did not break any law. What happened to your oath in March 2020? Have you forgotten it?)
“Kay SolGen Calida, nasaan PO ang puso nyo?! PO?! Or should I say may puso pa ba kayo???!!!”
(To SolGen Calida, where is your heart?! Or should I say do you still have a heart???!!!”
“HINDI SAPAT ANG MANAHIMIK SA SITWASYON NGAYON!!!!!! (It is not enough to be quiet in this situation!!!!!!),” she stressed.
“Sa gitna ng pinagdadaanan ng lahat ng Pilipino ngayon ETO TALAGA ang ibibigay nyo sa amin???!!! Sa panahon na walang kasiguraduhan ang buhay ng bawat tao??! Sa panahon na hindi handa ang lahat sa epidemyang kinakaharap natin ngayon! Sa panahong maraming nawalan ng trabaho?!” she wrote.
(In the middle of what Filipinos are going through now, this is what you will give us???!!! At a time when there is no certainty in the lives of each person??! At at time when not everyone is ready for the epidemic we are facing now! At a time when people are losing jobs?!)
“Sa panahong TAKOT ang nararamdaman ng karamihan! ETO TALAGA ANG IBIBIGAY NYO?! Ang cease and desist order sa [ABS-CBN] ng walang kalaban-laban???”
(At at time when many feel fear! This is what you’ll give?! The cease-and-desist order to ABS-CBN, which is helpless???)
“BAKIT NGAYON?!” she asked. “BAKIT SA gitna ng panahon na wala kaming magawa para sa aming tahanan na noon pa man ay siyang tumulong sa akin, sa amin at sa lahat ng tao na nangangailangan!”
(Why now?! Why now in at a time when we cannot do anything for our home, which has helped me, us and all the people in need!)
Chiu also emphasized that the media company had been willing to help in various calamities, such as typhoons Ondoy and Yolanda, the Taal volcano eruption in January and the current COVID-19 crisis.
“Nasaan ang PUSO AT MALASAKIT??? Nasaan ang pagiging PILIPINO?! Nasaan ang pagkakaisa?!!! [Pag-unawa]?!! PAGTUTULUNGAN???!!!” she questioned.
(Where is the heart and empathy??? Where is the essence of being a Filipino?! Where is the unity?!!!Understanding?!! Cooperation???!!!)
She said she hoped that those who called for the shutdown saw the impact it would have on people, especially on employees relying on the network for livelihood.
“Ang dami nang nahihirapan sa sitwasyon ngayon. Pag nalift na ang quarantine maraming pamilya [pa rin] ang magugutom,” she said.
(Many are struggling in the current situation. When the quarantine is lifted, many families will still be hungry.)
She also said they should have thought of how ABS-CBN had been a part of their lives as it provided entertainment and news to Filipinos.
“Para nyo kaming tinapakan at dinuraan ng paulit-ulit. Sa panahon ng ECQ nyo pa talaga ginawa to! Para kang sinaksak sa likod ng taong tinuring mong ‘KAPAMILYA’,” she said.
(It is as if you stepped on us and spit on us over and over. You really did this at the time of the enhanced community quarantine! It is as if you were stabbed in the back by the people you considered family.)
The cease-and-desist order came from the National Telecommunications Commission, citing that ABS-CBN did not have a franchise. Days before the order, Calida warned NTC against granting the network provisional authority to operate without a franchise, stating that it was “unlawful.”
The media giant’s franchise expired on May 4, with bills seeking its renewal pending in Congress. /ra
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