No ‘communication vacuum’ in Rolly rampage amid ABS-CBN shutdown, says Roque

MANILA, Philippines — Was there any “communication vacuum” caused by the shutdown of ABS-CBN and the halt of its wide reach in remote communities affected by the rampage of the previous super typhoon Rolly?

For presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, there is none.

During the Laging Handa special press briefing on Monday on the effects of the now tropical storm Rolly, Roque was asked about how the government dealt with the supposed information gap caused by the shutdown of ABS-CBN, the largest media network in the country.

He replied: “Sa tingin ko po, nagbibigay pugay po tayo lalong lalo na sa PTV (People’s Television) reporters, sa PIA (Philippine Information Agency). Gumagana po ‘yung communication infrastructure ng gobyerno sa panahon ng aberya so sa tingin ko po wala namang vacuum.”

(We honor our reporters in state-run PTV and the PIA. The communication infrastructure of the government works in the middle of disaster so I think there was no such vacuum.)

“Nandyan din po ang ating mga pribadong news agencies, nandyan po ang TV5, nandyan po ang GMA-7 at nandyan po ang mga matatapang, magagaling, masisipag na reporters ng radyo so sa tingin ko naman po wala pong nagkaroon ng communication vacuum,” he added.

(There are also private news agencies like TV5, GMA-7, and the brave, skillful and hardworking radio reporters so I think there was no communication vacuum.)

Back in August, ABS-CBN pulled the plug on 12 local “TV Patrol” programs following the denial of the network’s bid for a 25-year franchise at the House of Representatives in July.

ABS-CBN Regional has been producing local “TV Patrol” programs on the network’s 21 regional stations for over three decades, serving viewers in the provinces with local and national news presented in their own dialects.

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JE