Lea Salonga
“It was unprecedented,” declared Tony-award winner Lea Salonga when asked for her reaction to the historical airing of ABS-CBN’s long-running musical variety show, “ASAP Natin ’To,” last Jan. 24 on rival network TV5.
“I feel overjoyed that people who don’t have access to online platforms can get to see ‘ASAP’ again on the air. I was bowled over by the generosity of TV5 for allowing this to happen,” Lea told reporters during a recent Zoom chat.
“I still can’t believe that it actually happened; never mind that there’s so much evidence online, never mind that there have been so many stars of ‘ASAP’ sharing this bit of news on social media. I read the articles about it, too,” she observed. “It’s incredibly generous and so wonderful of TV5. There’s a bayanihan spirit behind it. Thanks to TV5 for allowing this to happen.”
Lea, who is one of the variety show’s regulars, added: “Thanks also to ABS-CBN also for hanging in there. There are multiple tunnels, and I think we are all starting to see light at the end of some of them. And this gives me hope. My heart wells up seeing that there are still good folks out there that are willing to help. I’m very grateful.”
“ASAP” will continue to be seen on TV5 every Sunday at 12 noon. The Kapatid network also began to air “FPJ: Da King,” a movie block showcasing the films of the late action king Fernando Poe Jr., on that day. It will be seen every Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. This is a collaboration among Cignal, TV5, Brightlight Productions and ABS-CBN.