Former broadcaster Jay Sonza, who often spends his time posting pro-government statements on Facebook, today slammed Representative Vilma “Vi” Santos for filing a bill that seeks to give ABS-CBN a new broadcasting franchise.
Santos, a multi-awarded former actress, filed House Bill No. 8298 on Jan. 5, but it became public only yesterday. Santos said in the bill that ABS-CBN, which was shuttered by the Duterte government last year, remained “steadfast in its commitment to reach out to as many Filipinos as possible by delivering their quality core programs closer to our countrymen by taking advantage of emerging broadcast technologies.”
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The prospect of granting a new, 25-year license to ABS-CBN did not sit well with Sonza, who used to host the company’s television talk show Mel and Jay back in the 1980s and 1990s.
“Cong. Vilma Santos, what renewal are talking about? There is nothing to renew because the network has no live or existing franchise, to begin with,” Sonza said.
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“There are a lot of stupid people in government. Don’t include yourself in their ranks,” he added scathingly.
He also insinuated that Santos is receiving compensation for supporting ABS-CBN’s re-opening.
“Be honest with the nation, Vi, let’s not fool ourselves. How much are you getting [for doing this]?” Sonza asked.
(In Filipino: “Tapatin mo ang bayan, Ate Vi. Huwag na tayong magbolahan pa, magkano ba talaga ang dahilan?”)
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Congress rejected ABS-CBN’s request for a new license because the once-powerful media giant allegedly committed a slew of violations. However, critics believe that the closure was politically-motivated because President Rodrigo Duterte had said that he didn’t like ABS-CBN’s news reports, which allegedly portrayed his government in a negative light.
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