Amid the franchise renewal issue being faced by ABS-CBN, another member of Congress criticized the said television network for portraying a city located in Mindanao in one of their show as a dangerous place.
In a statement, Agusan del Norte 1st District Rep. Lawrence Fortun criticized the video of ABS-CBN’s show ‘Soldier’s Heart’ that allegedly depicted Butuan City as a ‘hub of extremism’.
According to him, the said portrayal of the show in Butuan City could waste the effort of its residents to promote their hometown to the tourists.
“I am dismayed by the portrayal of Butuan as a hotbed of chaos. The depiction is not only unrealistic,” Fortun said.
“It is destroying the collective efforts of the people of Butuan to promote the Home of the Blangays as a tourist destination for history and culture and a hub of opportunities,” he added.
Fortun then urged ABS-CBN to reverse their actions and clarify to their audience that they wrongly depicted Butuan City.
“I urge ABS-CBN to immediately air an appropriate disclaimer, review and reconsider the content and story elements of the teleserye in order not to further besmirch the reputation of our historic country,” he said.
“Better still, as partial recompense for the damage this imprudence may have caused Butuan and its people, we implore upon them to do depict the real Butuan and feature stories about it in their news and public affairs programs,” he added.
Soldier’s heart was premiered on Monday and it showed the leading actor Gerald Anderson helped the military to track a rebel group in Butuan City.
It also showed Butuan in chaos because of the battle between the military and rebels.
It can also be noticed a disclaimer saying that all names, places, and incidents showed in the program are all based on imagination.
“Anumang pagkakahalintulad sa totong buhay ay hindi sinasadya at nagkataon lamang,” the disclaimer of the show reads.