Angel, Rita, other celebs devastated by failed ABS-CBN franchise bid

MANILA, Philippines — Several celebrities expressed their grief and sorrow on Friday after Congress rejected ABS-CBN’s application for a new franchise.

The House of Representatives legislative franchise committee denied granting the embattled network another franchise after 70 lawmakers voted to adopt the technical working group’s resolution titled “Resolution Denying the Franchise Application of ABS-CBN Corporation to Construct, Install, Establish, Operate and Maintain Radio and Broadcasting Stations in the Philippines.”

Kapamilya actress Angel Locsin, who joined the ralliers outside Batasang Pambansa, expressed her disappointment in an Instagram post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCdA3EbFg-N/

“Tapos na po ang botohan. Kami po ay tulala at hindi alam kung anong gagawin,” Locsin said.

(The voting is done. We’re just staring into nowhere, not knowing what we’ll do next.)

“Soooo painful, so unjust!! To all my Kapamilyas…let us not allow them to take away our peace.. we will bounce back with or without the franchise.,” Elvira “Tootsy” Angara, wife of Senator Sonny Angara,  said in her own separate post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCdA67sgL3s/

Veteran actress Rita Avila then expressed appreciation for ABS-CBN for dealing with the issue “very well.”

“You have shown your humility, your willingness to cooperate, your decency, calmness, firmness, patience and truth,” Avila said.

For Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the 11 representatives who voted to dissent the technical working group’s recommendation.

Yakap.. 😞

— Gabbi Garcia ♡ (@gabbi) July 10, 2020

Martin Nievera, meanwhile, had a strong message to Congress for denying his home network’s bid.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCdAF_JpqWK/

“Congress, you think you punished a network when you actually crippled a nation,” he said.

I've said this a lot the past few weeks. It's not about whether you associate yourself as a #kampamilya. It should be about being united in acknowledging that that hijo de puta is a dictator wielding power cuz of a personal vendetta. It doesnt matter who the target is.

— Mo Twister (@djmotwister) July 10, 2020

And radio DJ Mo Twister said that the issue of the franchise bid is not about associating oneself to the Kapamilya network.

“It should be about being united in acknowledging that that hijo de p*ta is a dictator wielding power cuz of a personal vendetta. It doesn’t matter who the target is,” Twister added.

[ac]