Antoinette “Direk Tonet” Jadaone, the filmmaker behind famous box office hit movies, rebuked Anak Kalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor who said ABS-CBN should drop its news and public affairs programs and broadcast only non-political shows while congressional deliberations on its franchise renewal are still ongoing.
On Twitter, Direk Tonet expressed her dismay stating that Defensor’s kind of argument is something that must be evaluated first before publicizing, to know how dumb the idea was.
She captioned, “Jusqqqqqqqqqqqq! Eto ‘yung tipong sana nai-send muna niya sa group chat ng barkada nila para makita niya gaano ka-bobo ‘yung ideya bago lumabas sa media.”
https://twitter.com/tonetjadaone/status/1277401750056534016?s=20
Other netizens agreed with Direk Tonet’s sentiment and called out Congress to focus on the true context of the hearing.
..from the beginning ABS CBN ay kilala na sa larangan ng Public Affairs
..tagapaghatid ng pang araw araw na balita tapos isashutdown🤔🤔
..sana focus nalang sa context ng franchise ng Abs cbn— Laberinto (@JLGonzaga1) June 29, 2020
Paghayok sa kapangyarihan madalas kabobohan ang nananaig.
— Hanash Daily #KikoBam2025 #HeidiSonny2025 (@BIENsays) June 29, 2020
Defensor’s argument happened on June 25 during a virtual conversation with One News TV where he shared that ABS-CBN’s news and current affairs allegedly showcased one-sided reporting.
He said, “Personal ko ‘to. Kung ako, kunyari tanggalin mo muna iyong news and public affairs. Kasi baka ma-influence ang committee, hindi para ma-curtail ang press freedom…Pabayaan mo iyong shows na non-political. Katulad nung reklamo nung isang kasama ko, naka-air na naman sila, tinira si ganito, tumira si ganyan, o one-sided iyong paglabas ng issue. Iyong news ang nagiging problem as of now.”
However, Defensor opposed this argument and reiterated that the quoted statement is untrue. On Facebook, he clarified that his real intention is to allow the network to use its Digibox and let the other programs be shown despite the expired franchise.
“Kanina nagulat ako ng maglabas ng litrato ko at quotation ang Kapamilya World Online na iba na ang kontexto ng aking panayam sa TV 5 na kung saan pinagusapan ang digibox. Ang gusto ko daw ay tanggalin ang news and public affairs nila! Eh wala na nga silang prankisa. Yung digibox iligal. Ang gusto ko sana ay payagan na lang muna ang ibang shows sa digibox kahit walang prankisa!”
He further stated that the network is being biased and this is one reason why it is such.
“Ang gusto ko lang ay makatulong – sisiraan ka pa! Kaya madaming nagagalit sa pagka-bias nyo eh.”
https://www.facebook.com/AnakalusuganPartylistCongMikeDefensor/posts/687813408468948
Meanwhile, Defensor previously stated that there are no biases in the media giant’s franchise renewal. Reiterating that there is no pro or anti-ABS-CBN because the important thing is to solely know the truth.
