#quezoncity

Day 30+87: When I was still a rookie reporter for ABS-CBN, one of the expressions I learned from police personnel in the crime beat was: “Ayaw gyud baliktari ug kaldero ang tao, kay di kabalo unsay himuon ana niya (Don’t ever flip someone’s rice cauldron over, because you never know what they’ll do), which was an admonition for employers who unjustly fire people from their jobs, causing them to commit deeds which landed them at the precinct.
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Over the past weeks, stories about the network’s franchise, the stonewalling their bosses faced in the House of Representatives, and the continuous trolling their accounts and employees get on social media, have undoubtedly caused fear and anxieties on the 11,000 employees all over the country, and their families.
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One might say that I am biased since I am a former employee. And yes I am. It it is not only because I support their call for a new franchise, but because none of the accusations hurled against it and its employees have been proven.
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As the network reduces its work force in the coming months both due to the pandemic, and the possible non-renewal of the franchise, some would end up worrying about their families, their parents, their kids, and their futures. This would inevitably cause anxieties which may cause unpredictable actions. A persecuted community can only take and hold so much.
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I hope that those in the halls of power, particularly those coming from Visayas and Mindanao, will remember the expression: Ayaw gyud baliktari ug kaldero ang tao, to which I will add, labaw na kung walay saktong hinungdan (especially when there’s no justification).
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Quezon City.
June 2020.
#yestoabscbnfranchiserenewal #communityquarantine #covid_19 #quezoncity #kapamilyaforever
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCa0v7WjxLE/?igshid=z59kz9eawdap

Day 30+23: Yesterday was a heartbreaking day for a family, I, despite my parting, consider myself to be part of.

Despite no longer working for the network, my mother called me up to check on me and talk about how sad she is about the shutdown, remembering how me and my sister @sorenequilinguing were part of it, how we grew up in it, and how we both took pride in our jobs with it. She also wondered what would happen to the network’s workers and their families, especially with the difficulties and anxieties everyone is facing with the pandemic and quarantine. I didn’t know what to say.

For critics of the network, it’s easy to call for its closure and join the tide of political supporters reveling in its demise. But for over 11,000 workers all over the country and their families, these insenstive comments, memes and hashtags cause anxieties, pain and despair. These online sentiments make me shake my head in disbelief with how some people can celebrate the potential loss of livelihood of others.

For friends and former colleagues in the network: stay strong and take courage in the thought that there are many among us who appreciate what you do, day in and day out. We are just not that noisy and organized (and funded?) on social media. Some platforms may have been shuttered, but I believe that you will remain, in the service of the Filipino. ❤️

Monitors during the weekend graveyard shift. ABS-CBN Integrated News and Current Affairs. Quezon City. October 2017. Quezon City. May 2020. #notoabscbnshutdown #thoughts #communityquarantine #enhancedcommunityquarantine #quezoncity #abscbn https://www.instagram.com/p/B_0Oukoj_zj/?igshid=x1f7nynnyxew

Purple skies.
UP Diliman, Quezon City.
March 2020.
#dusk #sunset #purpleskies #quezoncity #philippines #palmtrees #updiliman
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9rFNCFH4d0/?igshid=ytfyaaijiol0

Day 30+102: Something for #flashbackfridays. . This was a from a couple of years back, when @agneskristine and I were in Kyoto for the Gion Matsuri. And this was the parade of the Yamahoko floats. . This year, due to the pandemic, many of the activities of the festival were cancelled, as the annual event draws over a million visitors from all over Japan and abroad. It could be a dangerous venue for the spread of the COVID 19. . Incidentally, the festival started in 869AD as a purification ritual against a plague. I wonder if the prayers and rites this time would be able to eventually fight off the Coronavirus. . As we remain in quarantine, clips like this taken pre-COVID, offer not only opportunities for me to reminisce about the past, but also hope for a future where people can travel again, take part in festivals, and celebrate history, culture and life. . Kyoto. July 2018. Quezon City. July 2020. #quarantine #covid_19 #quezoncity #kyoto #祇園祭 #gionmatsuri https://www.instagram.com/p/CDB8FR-j6yy/?igshid=1mdojikvytnr0