Celebrities like Bianca Gonzalez, Agot Isidro, and Karen Davila recently publicized their two cents about missing ABS-CBN during Typhoon Odette.
On her Instagram story, Bianca noted the advantage of having the ABS-CBN Regional Network Group on disseminating news in time of calamity.
"Ang daming nangangalampag sa widespread media coverage at relief. Magiging napakalaking tulong sana ng ABS-CBN Regional Network Group sa panahon na ito. Madaling sabihin na "move on" sa franchise denial, pero sa ganitong pagkakataon hindi mo pala magagawa," she wrote.
Agot also expressed the same sentiment, posting on Twitter: "Kapag may mga disaster na ganito, tutok tayo sa balita sa TV or sa radyo. Ramdam ang pagkawala ng ABSCBN ngayon. To the 70 congressmen and their puppet master. Hindi talaga kayo nakatulong."
https://twitter.com/agot_isidro/status/1472739501449494534
Karen, on the other hand, shared the comment of a viewer on what having ABS-CBN on free TV means to the public.
"VIEWER: I just wanted to say I am feeling the loss of abs on air. I feel helpless as I want to track the effects of the typhoon pero no coverage. How sad because so many of my friends are affected," her tweet read.
https://twitter.com/iamkarendavila/status/1471747679701340162
Recall that last July, the House Committee on Legislative Franchises rejected 11 legislative measures proposing to grant a fresh 25-year legislative franchise for the network giant.
The vote, 70 against the franchise bid and 11 in favor, ended ABS-CBN’s bid to return on air after it stopped operations on May 4, the day its previous 25-year congressional franchise expired.
As of Dec. 20, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said that over 438,000 individuals or more than 109,000 families were taking temporary shelter in evacuation centers after Typhoon Odette wrought havoc in Visayas, Mindanao, and parts of Luzon.
Based on the report of DSWD’s Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC), as of 6 a.m, Dec. 20, a total of 109, 914 families or 438,359 individuals have been recorded as evacuees. They were staying in 2,481 evacuation centers.
The affected regions include Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan), Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao, and Caraga.