A netizen explained why President Rodrigo Duterte should not be blamed for the possible closure of television network giant ABS-CBN.

Noel Landero Sarifa, on a Facebook post, urged the employees of ABS-CBN to ask their management instead of putting all the blame to President Duterte over what’s happening to their network.

The netizen mentioned several things that he believes should be answered by ABS-CBN if they really wanted to save the company from closing.

Sarifa then posted screenshots of some alleged fake news posted by ABS-CBN to prove his claims.

Here’s what Sarifa wrote:

“Well, the artist and fanatics, should never blame President Duterte on this matter, they need to ask the management as to why they let this happen. Here are some recall of my posts, since way back 2016, these are screenshots and there are links you may refer to(Some already deleted). I do not have any information about the ads that is supposed to be aired by the network but refused to do so, as the President said it was not aired, I believe the President is telling the truth, there is no statement from ABS-CBN denying the claim.

Here are some points ABS-CBN needs to answer.

– How ABS-CBN sensationalize news against Duterte
– No coverage on Duterte’s Rally if there is, they do not show how huge the crowd is ( thanks to cinemotion, netizens for providing us photos and videos) if there is the numbers are roughly way lower than the reality. Duterte has a very minimal air time in the news last 2016 campaign, unlike the other candidates, if it is something bad about Duterte, that’s the time they provide more air time.
– Publishing fake news with no public apology or admission of the fault.
– Allow airing of Children being used against Duterte
– Minimal to almost no news about President Duterte’s Administration Achievement.”

According to Sarifa, the news posted by ABS-CBN raised the eyebrows of the supporters of President Duterte and even himself wanted the network to close for good.

“These cause outrage to Duterte’s supporters, and until now we know how biased the network is. Remember, even anonymous Philippines hacked DZMM website as they can no longer bear all the black propaganda and mudslinging way back 2016?” said Sarifa.

“So if I will be asked? Do they deserve a renewal? NO, why would we let them keep on fooling us? If they cannot provide fair and balanced news and TV programs then its time for them to stop,” he added.

Sarifa then hoped that ABS-CBN should stop using their employees to gain sympathy to the public and the officials of the network should be taking the responsibility for their actions.

The franchise of ABS-CBN is set to expire in March 2020.

11 members of the House of Representatives already made an effort to push the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN but Congress said that the television network should still clear themselves from the accusations of the President.

Laguna Rep. Sol Aragones claimed that 11,000 employees could lose their job if ABS-CBN’s franchise expires.

Legendary OPM artist Jim Paredes has a message to the critics of the US amid the support being received by Senator Leila De Lima from several American politicians.

On a tweet, Paredes asked the netizens why they criticized the US for allegedly meddling with the affairs of the Philippines, while some of them are not condemning China for not allowing Filipino fishermen to sail in the West Philippine Sea.

He also said that getting a “US Visa is not a human right” that’s why America has the right to reject anyone from entering their territory.

“If you think the US is meddling in our affairs, how would you describe china’s actions? We cant even fish or sail in our own waters,” said Paredes.

If you think the US is meddling in our affairs, how would you describe china's actions? We cant even fish or sail in our own waters.

BTW, acquiring a US visa is not a human right.

— Jim (@Jimparedes) January 3, 2020

When asked what he thinks about the action of China, Paredes gave his own opinion, calling the government’s inaction in the West Philippine Sea as “treasonous”.

“Interference to the highest degree short of war. And govt not resisting it is being treasonous,” the artist said.

Interference to the highest degree short of war. And govt not resisting it is being treasonous

— Jim (@Jimparedes) January 3, 2020

Paredes also defended the action of the US saying that it’s their “sovereign right” to refuse anyone from entering their country.

“The US can do what they want regarding who can enter their territory. That is their sovereign right just as HK had refused prominent Filipinos. This is not a question of interference,” he said.

The US can do what they want regarding who can enter their territory. That is their sovereign right just as HK had refused prominent Filipinos. This is not a question of interference.

— Jim (@Jimparedes) January 3, 2020

The Duterte administration and some American politicians are criticizing each other after several US Senators pushed for the entry-ban against government officials allegedly involved in the detention of Senator Leila De Lima.

The Philippine Government even announced that they already banned three American Senators from visiting the country.

They’re also planning to require Americans from getting a visa before visiting the Philippines as a response to the entry-ban of US.

US Senator Edward Markey has a message to President Rodrigo Duterte after he was banned from visiting the Philippines after expressing support to Senator Leila De Lima and also to Rappler CEO Maria Ressa.

In a statement, Markey said that the actions of Duterte cannot silence him and he would still express his support to the detained lady senator.

“President Duterte is sorely mistaken if he thinks he can silence my voice and that of my colleagues,” said Markey who’s the third American Senator barred by the Duterte admin from visiting the Philippines.

According to Markey, President Duterte already failed to silence his top critics in the country that’s why he’s confident that the move of the Philippine government to hush him is not going to happen.

The American Senator also said that he’s going to support the people of the Philippines and also the Filipino-American community who are criticizing the policies of the Duterte administration.

“He has already failed to silence Senator De Lima, Maria Ressa, and others in his country who have spoken truth to power. I stand with the people of the Philippines and with my state’s vibrant Filipino-American community fighting for the highest democratic ideals and against the strongman tactics of the Duterte government,” he said.

The Palace announced that Markey is not allowed to visit the Philippines after he called for the release of Senator De Lima.

“Yes [the ban is extended] to Markey,” Panelo said.

Senators Markey, Richard Durbin, and Patrick Leahy are the American politicians barred from visiting the Philippines for sponsoring the US Senate resolution that called for the release of Senator De Lima who has been in detention since February 2017.

Other sponsors of the said resolution are Marco Rubio, Marsha Blackburn, Chris Coons, Jeff Merkley, Tina Smith, Brian Schatz, Dianne Feinstein, and Benjamin Cardin, but the Palace didn’t mention if they’re also included in the entry-ban.

The Duterte government started to disallow De Lima’s American politician supporters from visiting the country after it was reported that US President Donald Trump signed his country’s 2020 budget which includes the entry-ban of government officials who were involved in the detention of the lady senator.

Veteran journalist Jay Sonza has a message to Laguna Representative Sol Aragones who urged President Rodrigo Duterte to “reconsider” his decision over the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN.

On a Facebook post, Sonza questioned the former ABS-CBN reporter if she’s really concern about the welfare of the employees of the television network giant.

Instead of asking the President to change his heart, Sonza said that Aragones should ask her former bosses to settle the labor cases filed by ABS-CBN employees against their company and put them back to their jobs.

“Laguna Rep. Sol Aragones, Kung totoong concern ka sa mga empleyado ng ABS CBN, ganito ang gawin mo, sabihan mo ang mga dating Amo mong ganid na ayusin nila iyong 20 labor cases na isinampa ng mga uring manggagawa laban sa kumpanya at bigyan ang mga kawani ng karampatang hustisya. Bayaran at ibalik Silang lahat sa trabaho,” Sonza said.

The veteran journalist also asked Aragones why the latter spoke about the welfare of employees of ABS-CBN only during the time when they’re already pushing for the franchise renewal of the television network.

“Huwag kang hipokrita. Bakit noong pinagtatanggal ang daan-daang empleyado ay Hindi ka nanindigan para Kanila? Tapos sasabihin mo ngayon kawawa iyong mawawalan ng trabaho kapag nagsara ang network operations ng kumpanya,” he said.

Aragones is included to the 11 members of the House of Representatives who are pushing for the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN.

“I appeal to the President to reconsider his position on the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise, as its non-renewal or its sale to third parties may threaten the livelihoods of over 11,000 employees––many of whom I worked with during my stint as a reporter in the network,” said Aragones.

Nine legislative measures were filed as an effort to renew the franchise of the television network.

However, the fate of ABS-CBN is still uncertain because of President Duterte’s criticism against the television network.

The President repeated many times that he opposed the franchise renewal of the said television network and even suggested to the owners of ABS-CBN to just sell their network to other businessmen.

Laguna’s 3rd District Representative Sol Aragones made an appeal to President Rodrigo Duterte to change his heart over the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN for the sake of thousands of employees could possibly lose their job if ever that the television network giant closes.

In a statement, Aragones who worked as a Kapamilya broadcaster from 1998 to 2012 said that the latest suggestion of President Rodrigo Duterte to the owners of ABS-CBN to sell the company to other businessmen could still affect the livelihood of 11,000 employees of the said network.

“I appeal to the President to reconsider his position on the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise, as its non-renewal or its sale to third parties may threaten the livelihoods of over 11,000 employees––many of whom I worked with during my stint as a reporter in the network,” said Aragones.

Aragones is hopeful that President Duterte could still change his mind as she witnessed how the chief executive care for his people.

“The President has consistently displayed tapang and malasakit during his tenure in Malacañang, and I appreciate and respect how these have translated to policy pronouncements,” she said.

“As chairman of the House Committee on Tourism, I have personally seen firsthand how presidential directives with regard to Boracay and Manila Bay have resulted in the successful rehabilitation of these two tourist spots and the strict implementation of environmental laws that will preserve these sites for generations to come,” she added.

Meanwhile, Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez said that they’re going to investigate the complaints against ABS-CBN so they could find out if the television network is deserved for franchise renewal.

“Does the President and many others who have made statements against ABS-CBN’s election coverage and election ad placement system, have a legitimate grievance against ABS-CBN? Did ABS-CBN violate the provisions of its franchise?” Alvarez stressed.

“Can ABS-CBN credibly defend its privilege of being granted a renewal of its franchise? These are just some of the questions that our committee will seek to answer when we conduct hearings on the matter once Congress resumes session three weeks from now,” he added.

ABS-CBN is the biggest network in the Philippines and its franchise is set to expire in March this year.

President Duterte until now is still opposing the franchise renewal because of past issues.

Former Senator Bam Aquino bids farewell to one of the most challenging years in his career.

On his Instagram post, Aquino posted a photo of his family with a caption about the failures he experienced last year.

It can be remembered that Aquino failed to get enough votes to get re-elected as Senator, placed 14th last senatorial elections with 14,144,923 votes.

However, the former Senator said that he “didn’t break” because of his “faith”.

“Goodbye 2019. More downs than ups this year. Heartache and disappointment as well. But how can I complain? I was brought to the breaking point, but I didn’t break. My Faith was tested, but I found out it’s real, and it’s strong. How can I complain?” said Aquino.

Aquino also mentioned that despite being defeated in politics last year, his family is still there and he’s still full of hope this 2020.

“Buo ang aking pamilya and my heart is full of hope. So 2020, come fast, come quick and be better than the last. May this New Year be filled with faith, with love, with hope and belief, that through it all, we are in the palm of His hands!” he added.

Some netizens even noticed that Aquino changed his looks a little bit, from being clean-shaven, the former Senator is now having beard and mustache.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Goodbye 2019. More downs than ups this year. Heartache and disappointment as well. But how can I complain? I was brought to the breaking point, but I didn’t break. My Faith was tested, but I found out it’s real, and it’s strong. How can I complain? Buo ang aking pamilya and my heart is full of hope. So 2020, come fast, come quick and be better than the last. May this New Year be filled with faith, with love, with hope and belief, that through it all, we are in the palm of His hands!

A post shared by @ bamaquino on Dec 30, 2019 at 7:56pm PST

Even blogger RJ “Thinking Pinoy” Nieto who called Bam as a cosplayer of his uncle former Sen. Ninoy Aquino couldn’t stop himself from praising the looks of the politician.

“He actually looks better after he stopped cosplaying Ninoy,” said Nieto.

The future political plans of Aquino is not yet known yet as it seems that he’s still spending his free time with his family.

Senator Leila De Lima criticized the Duterte administration on December 30 over the “rain twisting and propaganda” after the US allegedly banned the entry of government officials involved in her detention.

On a series of tweets, De Lima said that the administration kept spreading lies even during the holiday season just insist that she was being given due process.

The lady senator argued that she was not given a fair trial and accused the witnesses of giving a scripted statement against her.

“Huwag ako. Paskong-pasko sinungaling pa rin kayo. Magbabagong taon, baka gusto n’yong magbagong buhay din? It is axiomatic in the law that the process should be fair and just. Saan ang fair and just sa ginawa n’yo sa akin?” said De Lima.

“Para n’yo nang sinabi na makatarungan din ang pagpako kay Hesus dahil may proseso naman. Dumaan naman kay Poncio Pilato. Huwag n’yong kalimutan na naghugas kamay si Poncio Pilato, gaya ninyo. At ng mga testigo niyong rehearsed at scripted,” she added.

Para n'yo nang sinabi na makatarungan din ang pagpako kay Hesus dahil may proseso naman. Dumaan naman kay Poncio Pilato. Huwag n'yong kalimutan na naghugas kamay si Poncio Pilato, gaya ninyo. At ng mga testigo niyong rehearsed at scripted.

— Leila de Lima (@SenLeiladeLima) December 30, 2019

She also warned the people behind her detention that they cannot defeat the “divine justice”.

“Umupa pa yata kayo ng acting coach. Sa loob ng korte sintunado mga testigo n’yo. Baka gusto n’yong kumuha na rin ng voice coach? You can never silence or defeat the truth! Divine justice is mightier than all of you combined,” she said.

Umupa pa yata kayo ng acting coach. Sa loob ng korte sintunado mga testigo n'yo. Baka gusto n'yong kumuha na rin ng voice coach?

You can never silence or defeat the truth! Divine justice is mightier than all of you combined.

— Leila de Lima (@SenLeiladeLima) December 30, 2019

A few days ago, two American senators claimed that US President Donald Trump signed the 2020 budget which includes the entry ban against De Lima’s accusers.

As a response, the Duterte administration banned two American Senators, Richard Durbin and Patrick Leahy from entering the Philippine territory.

They’re also planning to require all Americans of getting a visa before visiting the Philippines.

American Senator Richard Durbin urged the Duterte administration to free Senator Leila De Lima instead of implementing new visa rules for US citizens who wanted to enter the Philippine territory.

In a statement, Durbin who’s a Senator from Illinois mentioned that there are many Filipino-Americans are working in his place and making them required to get a visa before visiting the Philippines could affect them.

Like Senator Patrick Leahy, Durbin also suggested to the Philippine government to just free Senator Leila De Lima instead of putting new visa rules for Americans.

Durbin also described De Lima’s charges as “highly questionable”.

“Illinois is proudly home to a vibrant, hardworking Filipino community. The Duterte regime should stop threatening the travel of these Filipino Americans and so many others who travel between our nations, and instead release Senator de Lima or assure a quick and credible trial,” Durbin said.

“This strong-arm tactic is an insult to the Filipino American community and country’s democracy,” he added.

Read my statement on the continued detention of Philippine Senator Leila de Lima by the government of the Philippines and President Rodrigo Duterte: pic.twitter.com/e4nsS8rvuy

— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) December 30, 2019

On December 27, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the Bureau of Immigration to deny Senator Durbin and Leahy from entering the Philippine territory for pushing for the entry-ban against government officials who were involved in the detention of De Lima.

The Duterte admin also said that if the US enforced the entry ban, they’re going to require all Americans to get a visa before being allowed to travel to the Philippines.

“Should a ban from entry into US territory be enforced against Philippine officials involved in – or by reason of – Senator de Lima’s lawful detention, this government will require all Americans intending to come to the Philippines to apply and secure a visa before they can enter Philippine territory,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said.