ABS-CBN is in high hopes that it will be able to ‘take back’ Kapamilya talents who moved to another network amidst the network’s shut down.
ABS-CBN CEO and President Carlo Katigbak said that the franchise denial caused the network to lose some of its talents since they need to earn a living to sustain their families.
“Our goal is to make ABS-CBN the home of best creative, performing, production, and journalistic talent. Unfortunately, we were not able to retain all the great talent that we used to work with because of the loss of our franchise.”
The network understands their decisions, but he hopes that one day soon if ABS-CBN will be granted a franchise, they will be able to regain their artists who moved to other networks.
“We understand that those we have not been able to give work to have had to look for livelihood elsewhere. But we still keep the hope that we will be able to one day take back the people we were forced to let go of, but still want to work with ABS-CBN.”
He also said that the network wishes to keep every artist regardless if they are new or seasoned stars. If they stay with the network then, ABS-CBN will be committed to taking care of them.
“For us, it is never going to be a choice between established names and upcoming stars. We are committed to each and every individual that has chosen to stay with the company, especially in these difficult times.”
When asked about the network’s plans for their big stars like Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo, he said, “Our big stars have made major sacrifices to stay with the network even if the reach of our viewership is not what it used to be. We’re working very hard to make sure that they are given opportunities.”
Despite clearing out the allegations thrown against it, ABS-CBN was still deprived of a franchise as Congress, in the leadership of Rep. Alan Cayetano at that time, voted to reject the network’s bid for renewal.
Because of that, the network was forced to cease operations and leave free TV. This caused ABS-CBN to lay off some of its employees and pushed some celebrities to shift to other networks.
