From being one of the most revered journalists from the 80s until the 2000s, veteran broadcaster Jay Sonza was now being criticized and mocked by netizens after he was recently put under the custody of the authorities for estafa charges.
On August 3, NBI confirmed that they put Sonza behind bars after he tried to leave the country even if he was facing charges.
No one could imagine that Sonza, who’s being admired by many people several decades ago made a huge downfall.
During the peak of his career, Sonza hosted one of the most successful talk shows in the country Mel & Jay, together with broadcaster Mel Tiangco.
He also hosted Saksi for a year.
Sonza also became popular because of the controversy he faced after he left ABS-CBN together with Tiangco.
The veteran broadcaster filed a case against ABS-CBN that became a landmark case due to its legal significance.
In the said case, Sonza demanded that ABS-CBN should pay him separation pay and other incentives after he left the Kapamilya Network.
However, the Respondent, ABS-CBN, argued that the broadcaster was not an employee but an ‘independent contractor,’ who was not obligated to receive any perks of a normal worker.
Supreme Court favored ABS-CBN, declaring the Sonza is not an employee of the Kapamilya Network.
He also ran as a senatorial candidate in 2004 but didn’t get enough votes to gain a seat in the senate.
After reminiscing about the career of the broadcaster, netizens on X couldn’t express their regret over what happened to Sonza.
“Younger generations will never realize how we used to look up to Jay Sonza back in the day. Such a huge fall from grace,” netizen @detectivemask said
Younger generations will never realize how we used to look up to Jay Sonza back in the day.
Such a huge fall from grace. pic.twitter.com/kEF5FUfbG0
— Detective Mask 名探偵マスク (@DetectiveMask) August 15, 2023
“Totoo to. Nagulat ako sa naging choices nya sa panahong ito. Sayang! Unless, eversince, ay ganun na talaga sya,” netizen Micknick commented.
“Nakakamiss talaga un mga lolo at lola/ veteran skilled personalities being seen on TV sharing their wisdom.. andami talaga nilang tumandang nalulong at ganid sa pera at kapangyarihan,” netizen Arte remarked.
As of writing, Sonza has yet to give any statement on the case he was facing.