Star Magic head Direk Laurenti Dyogi said on Thursday, August 26, the pandemic and the Network’s shutdown was somehow a ‘blessing in disguise’ to ABS-CBN since it made them stronger and more resourceful.
“Ang krisis is a good teacher yan. Talagang diyan ka sinusubok pag may krisis. We’re lucky that we’re hit by both the pandemic and the shutdown and force to ano kami, be innovative,” he said during Rappler’s Talk Entertainment.
Dyogi continued that such predicament ‘compelled’ them to be innovative to survive and provide a livelihood to Filipinos during the time of the pandemic.
“Wala eh survival eh, ‘yon pinaglalaban namin eh, buhay at kabuhayan ng maraming tao. Since last year we were on survival mode, with that, talagang kailangan tuloy lang ‘yong resilience ng kumpanya.”
The Network, back in 2020, was forced to go off-air amid a global pandemic. But for Dyogi, the situation made them more ‘creative’ and prepared for what’s next.
“Yung crisis naman talaga, yan ang ano, you become more creative when you don’t have the right resources,” he stressed
What concerns the Star Magic head is not the shutdown but more of the mental health of his employees and talents.
“Because of the pandemic, yung mental wellness ng tao ang nagiging problems.”
Even he himself admitted he was depressed by what is happening around the world.
“Kahit naman ako, dumaan ako sa anong yun, depression, languishing yung feeling. So yun ang kalaban.”
However, with ABS-CBN continuing its fight for survival, Dyogi believed they are now far more resilient than before.
“Naging malakas din naman yung support system namin eh. We had a shared experience sa kumpanya because of the shutdown. Medyo tumibay lalo yung aming samahan.”
In the meantime, the Kapamilya Network, despite its numerous losses because of the pandemic and the shutdown, ensures that its employees and artists are well protected against Covid-19.
“Maraming adjustment sa protocol like yung…well a lot of our people are vaccinated. Siguro 90% are already vaccinated.
“But up to now, hindi pa kami umaalis. Kailangan ka mag pre-entry swab, PCR swab. At saka mayro’n kaming within, at saka exit swab.
“We still do that. Hindi naman namin tinanggal kahit vaccinated na for the safety of everyone,” he revealed.
Ensuring the safety of everyone is their priority. Dyogi insisted that ABS-CBN, in all of its production, is making sure to follow all of the health protocols that the Government implements.
“Whether vaccinated or not, we still follow the same protocols, the strict protocols that we implemented from the start because of variant nga, hindi natin alam. So ang daming breakthrough infection din so ingat din kami.”
