On October 7, Thursday, when veteran broadcast journalist Noli de Castro formally said goodbye to his ABS-CBN programs after announcing his plans of running as a senator in the upcoming 2022 elections under the Aksyon Demokratiko of Presidentiable Manila Mayor Isko Moreno.
In his last broadcast on TeleRadyo, Noli shared his frustration with the ABS-CBN franchise that got denied by Congress in July 2020.
He stated, “Ang malungkot ho, aalis ako dito na wala pa rin kaming prangkisa.
“At sana’y dumating ang pagkakataon na lahat ho ng mga natanggal sa ABS-CBN ay makabalik na, napakarami ho niyan.
“Libu-libo na mga kasamahan namin dito sa ABS-CBN na dati-rati, kapag may prangkisa pa kami nun, araw-araw ho nagbabatian kami dito.
“Ngayon po, wala nang bumabati sa akin. Wala na rin akong mabati dahil kung minsan maglalakad ako dito, wala kang makakasalubong,” he added.
Like many of his colleagues, he hopes that ABS-CBN will rise again.
Kabayan is still hopeful that a new franchise will be granted to their Network by new congressmen who will sit in Congress in 2022.
Noli said, “At sana po ay makabawi kami sa mga darating na taon sa pamamagitan po ng inyong mga panalangin na magbago ang ihip ng hangin sa mga congressman na uupo bilang mga bagong kongresista sa bagong Kongreso sa 2022.”
On the other hand, ABS-CBN released their statement about the decision of the News Anchor to run for public office in the coming 2022 national elections.
“We respect his personal decision and wish him well as he aims to continue his service to the nation as a government official.
“In adherence to our company policy, Kabayan will move on from his anchor duties in TV Patrol, Kabayan, and TeleRadyo Balita once he formally files his certificate of candidacy.”
ABS-CBN is grateful for de Castro’s decades of service to ABS-CBN News and Kapamilyas around the world.
They added, “We thank Kabayan for his decades of service in ABS-CBN News, where he led iconic shows and spearheaded public service efforts while also serving as a mentor to generations of broadcast journalists in the organization.”
ABS-CBN will continue to evolve and thrive during these changing times.
