Vice President Leni Robredo thanked the regional network of ABS-CBN for its longtime service to Bicolanos.
Robredo, in a Facebook post, said ABS-CBN Bicol has been a “big part of our homes and our lives for many years.”
“I am sure it’s the same thing for many other Bicolanos like me. Today, as they bid us goodbye, we want to thank the ABS-CBN Bicol family for the many years of service to the Bicolanos,” she said.
“I hope we take this moment to thank all of the men and women behind the regional networks for their service to us all,” Robredo, a native of Naga City, Camarines Sur, added.
Friday marked the last day ABS-CBN regional operations following the non-renewal of the network’s franchise by the House of Representatives.
A number of ABS-CBN workers will lose their jobs effective Aug. 31 following the failed franchise bid.
The Vice President recalled during her visit to remote communities while she was still a Camarines Sur representative that her fellow Bicolanos would watch ABS-CBN shows “after a long day at work.”
After she became Vice President in 2016, Robredo also remembered her visit to Ocampo in her home province where she noted ABS-CBN shows were “accessible” to its farthest communities.
”We brought with us a generator set which the community can share. The people who were waiting for us were ecstatic because they said, they can finally watch ABS-CBN shows,” she said.
Last year, Robredo said that an entire island in Caramoan depend on two households who have their own generator sets to watch “Ang Probinsyano“ and other shows of the network.
“As all the other ABS-CBN regional networks are closing their operations tonight, I am sure a lot of those living in the provinces are also feeling the same sadness,” she said.