Dismissed DZMM radio host lashes out at ABS-CBN: ‘Masyado sila nagmamalinis’
MANILA, Philippines — Dismissed DZMM radio host Jobert Sucaldito minced no words in calling out his former employer, ABS-CBN, over its highly criticized shutdown.
In an interview over dzAR 1026, Sucaldito said that while he is not in favor of the shutdown, there is no one to blame for the National Telecommunications Commission’s (NTC) shutdown order on the media giant but the ABS-CBN management.
“Ang pinakaayaw ko lang masyado silang nagmalinis. Ako I’m no for shutdown. Ayoko, kasi maraming masasaktan, marami akong kaibigan sa loob na mabait. Maraming inosenteng madadamay. Pero bakit pinabayaan ninyo? ‘Yung pinapalabas niyong walang kasalanan ang ABS-CBN, imposible ‘yun. It’s very stupid. Kung wala kang kasalanan, gagalawin ka?” Sucaldito said.
“Hindi ako maka Duterte…pero bakit hindi niyo nilabas ‘yung ad ni Duterte. Tinanggap niyo ‘yung pera. Hindi kasalanan ‘yon? Sabihin niyo nang pinersonal kayo, pinulitika kayo. Bakit? Hindi kayo namulitika sa loob? Wag tayong magmalinis.”
Sucaldito got suspended in DZMM, ABS-CBN’s radio station, over his offensive remarks on actress Nadine Lustre. He has since filed an illegal dismissal complaint against the radio station before the Department of Labor and Employment.
ABS-CBN went off the air on Tuesday evening in compliance with a cease and desist order of NTC pending congressional approval of its franchise renewal.
Article continues after this advertisementABS-CBN’s legislative franchise expired on May 4. But lawmakers were expecting the NTC to issue the network a provisional franchise after they failed to pass any of the bills filed seeking to extend the media giant’s legislative franchise.
Article continues after this advertisementThis follows President Duterte’s repeated public rants against ABS-CBN since taking power in 2016. He has publicly threatened to block the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN for not airing a paid 2016 presidential campaign advertisement.
Five months before ABS-CBN’s franchise expired, Duterte even vowed that he will see to it that ABS-CBN will be “out.”
ABS-CBN has already apologized to Duterte for not airing the campaign ad, which the President accepted.
But Sucaldito insists that ABS-CBN should not drag the 11,000 affected workers into the issue as its management should take it head-on.
He even claimed that the shutdown is not an affront to press freedom as other media outlets can still operate.
“Trabahuhin niyo nalang, ayusin niyo, gawin niyo ang dapat niyong gawin para maibalik kayo sa ere. Huwag niyo nang gamitin ang mga tao dahil hindi naman sila kasali diyan. Kayong mga boss ang may problema diyan,” Sucaldito said.
“May kasalanan kayo, kaya nga kayo nawala eh. Dinadaan niyo pa kinikitil ang karapatan sa pamamahayag. Uy, tigilan niyo yang ganyang statement. May GMA, may Sonshine Radio, may TV5, may dzRH. Hindi kinitil ang karapatang mamahayag. This is not an issue ng press freedon, kayo lang naman ang may problema. Ayusin niyo wag niyo i-generalize,’ he added.
