Pressing forward

I remember I was working from home the day Congress was discussing the merits of the move to grant ABS-CBN a new franchise. I was so engrossed by the stories I was finishing, making sure I would make it to press time. My phone was ringing non-stop from calls and texts with the same message; the company was not granted its franchise. Seventy congressmen moved not to give the largest media network a fresh start to be able to broadcast once again on the air.

It took me some time before I actually grasped what had happened and the time given taught me to brace myself for the worst to come. Thousands of employees who were in the middle of a pandemic would lose their jobs in the coming days. True enough, we were told we would be let go the following month and that was the end of the regional station in Cebu.

This story becomes a cliché every time I tell it. But it is timely as it is already a year since it happened. One year has passed since it felt like 70 House representatives became very heartless. It was coming to me that they were not paying attention to the different agencies that cleared the company's name in the many days that they were hearing the issue for the franchise. It seems like they are listening to another voice, one that has been dictating them what to say and do.

But I have moved on, of course I have. I'm starting a new life and still doing news on the side. However, I will never forget what happened and what I felt. It was more than an attack on a company owned by an oligarch but an attack on press freedom. They are trying to control how information will be said and aired on their preferred platforms. That and in the middle of a pandemic.

What effect do I see today? Poor response to the pandemic. Haven't you noticed? A lot of people are hesitant to get their vaccine shots because of fake news going around the internet. Instead of these myths debunked on a wider reach such as the network that they shut down, they are looking for information in the wrong channels.

Recently, I accompanied my husband to the vaccination center only to see that a lot of people had questions on how to go about it. What are priority groups? What is the vaccine? What to do? Had everyone been given the chance to air and speak, it could have been avoided.

But that is already done and there is a new path to tread. The political landscape is so full of uncertainty but one thing is for sure, we need new leaders who will reshape the way we are living today. Leaders without their own agenda but with genuine concern for their people. If the Aquino administration did their best, maybe there could have been still more choices for us.