Erik Santos expressed his gratefulness to his home network, ABS-CBN, which still gave him a job despite its closure.
Last week on Magandang Buhay aired on Kapamilya Online Live and iWantTFC, Erik said he was just thankful to the network who keeps giving entertainment to Filipinos despite its situation.
“Totoo ‘yan. Sobra akong grateful sa ABS-CBN, sa Kapamilya, sa ‘ASAP’ sa TNT (Tawag ng Tanghalan). Kasi amidst the closure of the network ay nabibigyan pa rin nila kami ng pagkakataon na makapag-work at makapagbigay ng aliw sa kahit na anong paraan naming magagawa sa ating mga kababayan na nanonood pa rin sa atin,” Erik said.
The singer is now back on ASAP, and in the Tawag ng Tanghalan segment of the noontime show It’s Showtime.
“Actually ito ang first na labas ko except sa cycle namin sa ‘ASAP.‘ Tomorrow (September 29) magti-TNT ako. First time ko ito na mag-guest na hindi ‘ASAP.’ Kaya ngayon medyo nalalabanan ko na ‘yung anxiety at takot,” Erik said.
He admitted that the quarantine brought by the pandemic was a challenging time for him.
“Kasi hindi ba kapag nasa industriya tayo, itong showbiz industry, kahit nagwo-work ka parang ‘di ka nagwo-work kasi masaya. Kahit anong pagod mo, kahit anong hirap ipinapagawa sa iyo, nae-enjoy mo siya kasi ang saya lang, tapos biglang mawawala sa iyo. So nararamdaman ko ‘yung anxiety, yung worries, may fears akong nararamdaman. Ang dami daming negative thoughts and emotions akong na experience talaga and until now. Minsan may mga pagkakataon naiisip ko kailan ba talaga matatapos ito. Nami-miss ko na ang mga kaibigan ko. Nami-miss ko na ang kumanta with live audience, ang dami kong nami-miss,” he narrated.
On the positive side, Erik said he was able to spend more moments with his family.
“Mas nakilala ko sila, ang nanay ko pala ay talagang masiyahin talaga siya. Sa gitna ng pandemiya na kinakaharap natin ngayon, sa kanya ko nakukuha ang positivity, ‘yung kung paano tayo tumingin sa buhay. Kasi minsan ikaw ang mag-aalala sa parents mo kasi matanda na sila, gusto mo mag-enjoy na lang sila. (Pero) sila ‘yung nagbibigay ng positive vibe na matatapos din ito, dapat lagi lang tayong masaya, ganun ‘yung nanay ko,” Erik said.
Since ABS-CBN went off the air in May, Erik has been vocal of his support for the media giant. He was among the celebrities who felt a great loss after the network was shut down.
He is one of the many 11 thousand employees who returned the favor by supporting their home when it faced franchise renewal issues in Congress.
He considers ABS-CBN his second home where his career grew and he achieved his dreams.
Erik was the first Grand Champion of the ABS-CBN singing competition Star in a Million in 2003.Erik made his way to stardom through the music scene, earning the title Prince of Pop. He released numerous albums and staged international and local concerts.
