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Isabela governor gets “burned” by ABS-CBN journo after questioning lack of coverage from network

Did he forget that his brother and several other representatives from his province voted against the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise?

People have been blaming the media for everything lately—from over-indexing on COVID-19 in its early stages, now we have a government official who blames a network for its lack of coverage.

Even if said network was denied a franchise to being with.

In a now-viral video, Isabela Governor Rodolfo Albano III could do nothing but laugh after Christian Esguerra, journalist and host of ANC’s Matters of Fact, fired off a question without so much as blinking.

All Albano could say was “lahat naman ng station, na-overwhelm yung crew nila dito,” and deflect the conversation elsewhere.

This came after his remarks that they had to be the ones to provide them with footage and photos after Isabela and Cagayan were hit with the worst flooding they have experienced in decades.

“Sana kung mayroon kayong mga crew dito. Yung mga crew ng ibang station pinapunta na namin para tingnan yung damage dito sa Isabela and Cagayan,” Albano said prior to being asked the now-viral question.

Netizens on Twitter were all over the governor, firing at him from all angles.

Some were direct to the point and said he got burned by Esguerra.

Others simply accused the governor of passing the buck, reminding him that it was his brother, among others, who denied ABS-CBN their franchise.

https://twitter.com/nickvillavecer/status/1328186962977595392

ABS-CBN celebs and news personalities also offered their two cents on Albano’s statement, where he essentially blamed not just ABS-CBN but all media for their lack of coverage.

There were those who pointed out how the Isabela LGU used to rely on ABS-CBN to get information out faster—specifically because people weren’t as attuned to their LGU’s social media accounts.

Other personalities have also weighed in with their thoughts.

Though perhaps this tweet summed it up best.

This all came about after Magat Dam, one of the country’s largest dams, had to release water after it came close to spilling after nearby mountain ranges were inundated by rainwater brought by Typhoon Ulysses.

Since then, the national government has been hard at work in conducting search and rescue operations—mainly through the Office of the Vice President.

President Rodrigo Duterte also made his visit to the region and promised a probe into the mining and alleged illegal logging practices still hounding the Cagayan region.

Kim Atienza gives his two cents regarding President Rodrigo Duterte’s request

Angel Locsin, Isabelle Daza, and other Kapamilyas react to Isabela Governor’s question about ABS-CBN News’ absence