A blogger and columnist criticized the celebrities of ABS-CBN for conducting a signature campaign to show their support for the franchise renewal of the said television network.
On a Facebook post, Krizette Laureta Chu said that the management of ABS-CBN could just pay their taxes instead of gathering one million signatures on social media.
“So much propaganda when they could just pay their taxes right?”
“ABS CBN went into an agreement with the BIR that they will just pay 40 percent (compromise agreement) of their utang. PWEDE BA TO SA NORMAL NA MAMAYANG PILIPINO? Pwede ba ako pumunta sa BIR, sabihin 40 percent lang ng tax ko ang babayaran ko pero 100 percent ang paninira at reklamo ko sa inyo? (*ISA PA TONG BIR. So ABS CBN exhibits “inability to pay” the full amount and/or the amount quoted is not legit?)”
According to Chu, the alleged non-payment of correct taxes of ABS-CBN is not fair especially to the ordinary Filipinos.
“Are these celebrities asking us to look the other way? Hindi ba unfair sa ordinaryong mamamayan na nagbabayad ng tax na yung ganyang kalaking network hindi nagbabayad ng tama?”
“Yung mga nag nag Jeep papasok ng work, yung mga nag bebedspace lang ng malapit sa work nila, yung mga naka tayo all day, yung mga normal ABS CBN employees—sila pa talaga ang hini hingan nyo ng sakripisyo while you live in your mansions and drive your expensive cars?”
Chu said that the recent action of the celebrities who are earning millions of pesos is like urging the ordinary Filipinos to “not fight” for big companies that not paying proper tax.
“It stings because these celebs earn millions, and they want normal people who earn minimum wage to not fight for big companies to pay proper tax that will go to building a better PH. Buti naman kung hindi sila nauuna pumuna pag kulang ang services.”
“I mean, ABSCBN doesn’t have to complicate the issue, just pay your tax RIGHT. I know it’s showbiz, but this is just too much drama for something so fixable.”
“All these drama about ABS CBN legacy, jobs to be lost, WHEN IN THE FIRST PLACE IT WAS TRYING TO FOOL THE GOVERNMENT BY NOT PAYING ITS TAX RIGHT. And not the Duterte government—but all the governments that let it pass in fear of powerful media retribution.”
A few days ago, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) started a signature campaign asking the House of Representatives to pass the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN.
Top celebrities like Vice Ganda, Anne Curtis, and Leah Salonga supported the petition.
As of writing, the petition already gained 125,000 signatures.
The franchise of ABS-CBN is set to expire in March 2020.