Agusan del Norte Congressman Lawrence Fortun has called out ABS-CBN’s teleserye A Soldier’s Heart for its “offensive” and “unrealistic” portrayal of their city Butuan.
In his letter to the show’s producers, Fortun said he is dismayed by the portrayal of Butuan as a “hotbed of chaos.” He also added that the depiction, which was not only unrealistic but also offensive, takes away their collective efforts to promote the city as a tourist destination for culture and history.
“The depiction is not only unrealistic, [but it is also] offensive because it is destroying the collective efforts of the people of Butuan to promote the Home of the Balangays as a tourist destination for history and culture and hub of opportunities,” Fortun said.
He urged the network to air appropriate disclaimer so as not to further besmirch the reputation of their 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 city,” he added.
This is not the first time that an ABS-CBN teleserye was called out for portraying a place in a bad light.
In 2017, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano was also called out by Arayat Pampanga officials for depicting their town as a haven of terrorist groups.
ABS-CBN statement
Meanwhile, ABS-CBN has apologized for the discomfort caused by mentioning the name of Butuan City in the teleserye.
In their statement issued Thursday, January 23, ABS-CBN apologized to Rep. Lawrence Fortun and the people of Butuan City if they felt offended by the episode. They however assured that there were no deliberate intentions to portray the city in a bad light.
“ABS-CBN would like to apologize to Agusan Del Norte Rep. Lawrence Fortun and the people of Butuan City if the scenes in the TV series “A Soldier’s Heart” have offended them. While the incident portrayed in the series was fictitious, there was mention of the city name. We would like to assure them that there was no deliberate intention to portray Butuan City negatively in the show. We acknowledge that Butuan is one of the most beautiful and peaceful cities in the country.”
