Noli de Castro. Image: Instagram/@kabayannolidecastro
Three years after ABS-CBN was forced to go off the air, Noli de Castro underscored how they have the technology to thank for their continuous service to the public.
Through his Instagram page, De Castro showed a clip of his closing spiel for “TV Patrol” on May 5, 2020, the night the broadcasting company was shut down.
“Hindi man na-renew ang aming prangkisa at pinatitigil ang ating broadcast, nangangako kami sa inyo, hindi kami mananahimik sa pag-atakeng ito sa ating demokrasya at sa malayang pamamahayag. Sa pinakamalaking dagok at hamon sa aming kompanya at sa aming hanapbuhay, hinding-hindi namin kayo tatalikuran, kabayan,” he vowed in 2020.
The broadcaster reiterated this and said through the caption, “Tinutupad po namin na hindi kami mananatiling nakatikom ang mga bibig.”
“Itutuloy pa rin po namin kung ano ang aming ginagawa, may mga paraan. Salamat na lamang po sa teknolohiya, dahil nandito pa rin kami,” he continued.
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) ordered ABS-CBN to stop broadcast operations following the media giant’s franchise expiration on May 4, 2020. ABS-CBN’s bid for franchise renewal was later denied in July of the same year.
ABS-CBN has since turned to digital platforms and has been in partnership with other networks and streaming platforms to air its content. /ra