Author: Mc Richard Paglicawan

As the country is about to witness the TV comeback of Darna, the media companies that will broadcast the much-anticipated series announce a landmark partnership deal that received positive response from stock market analysts and a private think tank group. Mars Ravelo’s Darna, which stars Jane De Leon, Joshua Garcia, and Janella Salvador, is poised to fly high on primetime starting Monday on TV5 and Kapamilya Channel, among others, replacing FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano that has ruled the country’s primetime for seven years. On Wednesday (August 11), ABS-CBN and TV5 announced the landmark deal wherein ABS-CBN will have a minority stake…

The island is a wellness haven that offers benefits that are therapeutic miracles. I am a ‘love to live’ guy. I find purpose in loving forms of beauty, regardless of how eccentric they may be to others. I love because it seems to be the only way to live. However, there are times when you find yourself traversing a difficult terrain, trudging an uphill path; you lose the fervor and will to push through, and before you know it, your wellness and sanity. Suddenly, you’re no longer strong enough to love, and therefore…live. If you’re trying to find that missing fire…

At the height of the pandemic in 2020, GAMEBOYS, considered to be the Philippines first hit “Boys Love” series, premiered on YouTube, and proved so successful that by 2021, it was picked up by Netflix globally, aired on Philippine Television on GMA’s Heart of Asia channel and spawned “GAMEBOYS THE MOVIE” which is now showing on digital cinema platforms KTX and Ticket2Me. Produced by The IdeaFirst Company and Octobertrain Films, GAMEBOYS reaches a new milestone because “GAMEBOYS THE MOVIE” and the forthcoming “GAMEBOYS SEASON 2” are now international co-productions with Japan-based companies 108JAPAN Co., Ltd, Aeon Entertainment Co., Ltd. and…

Asia’s Pop Diva Julie Anne San Jose takes her fans to an extraordinary musical journey in “LIMITLESS, A Musical Trilogy,” set to premiere on September 17 with tickets available beginning July 30. The three-part musical journey is set to unveil the different facets of Julie as a singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and multi-instrumentalist. But the biggest revelation comes to Julie as she searches for new inspiration in this journey of discovery that takes her to unexpected locations in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Tickets can be purchased by logging on to www.gmanetwork.com/synergy. Tickets are priced at P599 (General Admission); P1,499 (Synergy…

NEW YORK, July 2021 — The New York Press Club recently announced the winners of the 2021 New York Press Club Journalism Awards and ABS-CBN News Senior Correspondent Don Tagala won for Community Coverage. An enduring tradition in New York media, the annual New York Press Club Awards for Journalism honor excellence by writers, reporters, editors, producers, photographers, and multi-media journalists. Entries this year were judged in 30 categories, including sub-categories for print, broadcast, and the Internet. Tagala’s multi-media report, “Filipino ‘Superheroes’ at the Frontlines of COVID-19 Wear Scrubs, Not Capes,” was a stirring, yet honest look at how these…

Members of the House Committee on Legislative Franchises are expected to cast their vote on ABS-CBN’s fate this Friday (July 10) and it is not just the network who is bound to lose big should the franchise bid fails to get majority votes. Millions of Filipinos are also at the losing end in this battle to permanently shut down the leading media network in the Philippines. Here’s a rundown of what the country and its people will endure should “no votes” prevail on the House: 1. 70M viewers losing their preferred source of news, information, and entertainment for good About…

ABS-CBN stood by the legality of the return of ABS-CBN broadcast facilities to the Lopez family, as it never lost ownership of the network even during Martial Law. “Hindi po nawalay ang pag-aari ng Lopez family sa ABS-CBN at mga broadcast facilities and equipment even from the time when Martial Law was declared until today,” said Atty. Arecio Rendor Jr. at the legislative hearing on the franchise application of ABS-CBN today (June 15). “Isang patunay ay ang titulo na na-issue sa ABS-CBN noong 1967. Kahit po shares of stocks nung nagsimula po ang ABS-CBN when it was incorporated, ay hindi…

Three of the country’s most active environmental groups denounced the shutdown of ABS-CBN Corporation by the National Telecommunications Commission, emphasizing the importance of the services provided by the network in this time of pandemic. In a statement, Green Thumb Coalition (GTC) considered ABS-CBN’s closure as a form of deprivation of information among grassroots communities in the country, mainly because many Filipinos rely heavily on ABS-CBN for their daily news. “There are not a few grassroots communities across the archipelago whose news source is only ABS-CBN, and are now unjustly deprived of a much-needed lifeline,” GTC said. For an environmental group…

As Filipino families continue to struggle with the loss of jobs across different industries, ABS-CBN Foundation (AFI) now moves to the second phase of the “Pantawid ng Pag-ibig” campaign with the aim of reaching a million families by the end of August 2020. With the support of its sponsors and partners, the said campaign of ABS-CBN and AFI has raised over P400 million in cash donations and pledges as of May 31. To date, the project has fed over 750,000 Filipino families in the National Capital Region (NCR) and nearby provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal. The cash was…

ABS-CBN chairman emeritus Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III asserted that he is a natural-born Filipino citizen as he addressed questions about his citizenship at the House of Representatives today, June 3. “I am a natural-born Filipino citizen because both my parents are Filipino citizens,” said Lopez. ABS-CBN general counsel Mario Bautista said that Lopez is a dual citizen because he was born to Filipino parents in the United States of America. “’Yung pagka-dual citizenship po ni Mr. Gabby Lopez ay automatic legal consequence dahil ipinanganak siya mula sa mga Pilipino. Ipinanganak din siya sa America, na alam natin na kapag ikaw…

Did ABS-CBN violate the Constitution’s provision on franchise periods? According to two ABS-CBN franchise bill authors, the Kapamilya network did not violate such privision in the Constitution. Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlo Zarate said that the 50 year-limit is the maximum duration that Congress can grant in each franchise law it approves, but it does not forbid companies from getting a renewal. In an article by ABS-CBN News on May 27, Rodriguez said that “Congress can give 50 years in one instance and it can be extended for another 50 years and so on.…

Local government units (LGUs) found it challenging to quickly provide relief to families affected by the quarantine. That is why several mayors in Metro Manila and nearby provinces have expressed their gratitude to companies that served as their partners at this time, including ABS-CBN and ABS-CBN Foundation’s “Pantawid ng Pag-ibig.” “Private and public partnerships like what ABS-CBN does is a big help. We don’t know when this pandemic is going to end and the government can’t do it alone. In a month, we have plenty of families to feed,” Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian said in an interview with “TV Patrol.”…

Filipinos have shown their love and support for ABS-CBN and joined the call to bring the network back on air after the online petition launched by its employees has garnered over one million signatures in less than 24 hours. In their “Ibalik ang ABS-CBN” petition on kapamilyaforever.com, ABS-CBN employees have appealed to the House of Representatives to immediately tackle and approve the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN. “We are among the thousands who are worried and will be affected if ABS-CBN shuts down. We all have families who depend on our work,” the petition said. “We want ABS-CBN to continue its…

Different youth groups in the country were fearless to condemn the shutdown of ABS-CBN as they consider this more than an issue of an expired franchise, calling on the National Telecommunications Commission to reconsider the order and allow ABS-CBN to return on air. The Akbyan Youth strongly advised NTC to heed the Senate and the Department of Justice’s recommendations to allow ABS-CBN to operate while its franchise renewal application is still pending. The group also calls on the government to make their priorities clear and “stop its non-sense politicking that hardly helps the Filipino people.” The National Alliance of Youth…

Labor and human rights organizations in the country stand with ABS-CBN and its workers as they see the forced closure of the network as a grave disadvantage to the 11,000 ABS-CBN workers. According to labor group Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa, shutting down ABS-CBN’s broadcast operations and rendering more than 11,000 workers unemployed at a time of a pandemic is “the height of callousness.” Human rights organization Karapatan Alliance Philippines considers the closure of the broadcast institution as a “betrayal of the Filipino People,” given that the network provides income for thousands of employees and delivers reliable information…

The country’s leading business groups are calling on Congress for the immediate and just resolution of ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal as its closure has negatively affected many industries, especially the advertising sector. The Philippine Association of Advertisers has branded the network’s shutdown as “adversely disruptive” to many marketing communications programs of many advertisers. According to PANA, the closure “negatively impacts” not just the various businesses but also the millions of Filipino consumers. “ABS-CBN’s mainstream platforms are important advertising channels for many of our members to reach and serve their audiences,” PANA said. The Advertising Foundation of the Philippines also underscored the…