Charles Teves
ABS-CBN has trended on Twitter after the passing of Tropical Storm “Paeng” which has so far taken the lives of 121 people.
Paeng ravaged several areas in the Philippines over the weekend, leaving millions displaced from their homes. People in Mindanao complained that a lack of coverage of their situation made things more difficult.
Amid the storm’s visit, netizens noted how much ABS-CBN would’ve been able to help if Congress had not shut it down.
The media giant formerly had the capacity to cover far-flung areas through its regional radio and TV networks. Those halted operations after the network turned off the air.
Kapamilya talent Robi Domingo joined in reminding people what ABS-CBN is all about.
"In the service of the Filipino."
It's not just a slogan.
It's our mission and our commitment. ❤️💚💙
— Robi Domingo (@robertmarion) October 29, 2022
ABS-CBN could have done so much during this typhoon season, had they been granted the franchise. #IbalikAngABSCBN #Paeng #PaengPH
— 🤡🤡🤡 (@mykalataccount) October 29, 2022
Bagyong Paeng!
Feel na feel ng mga taga Mindanao ngayon ang pagkawala ng prangkisa ng ABS-CBN.
Ninakaw po kasi ng ALLTV ang frequency nila kaya doon kayo mag reklamo kung bat walang news tungkol sa inyo dyan.
— Clive Reyes JR (@datumx11) October 28, 2022
Para doon sa mga naghahanap sa ABS-CBN for News Coverage ng Bagyong Paeng🌀
Di ba andyan naman yun mga Vloggers at Paid Trolls👹👿
Yun mga naghahanap sa ANGAT BUHAY hindi po lahat ng lugar ay mapupuntahan at mabibigyan tulong dahil sila po ay NGO na limited lng ang resources💕
— kakampai🍻 (@kakam_pai) October 28, 2022
#Leni#AbsCbn #Paeng
No one can cover difficult storms, they way ABS-CBN did…— maryclaireCats (@maryclairecatan) October 29, 2022
Aba, nagrereklamo ang iba dyan na wala raw masyadong media coverage sa mga biktima ni Paeng. Eh kasi naman, kayo itong nag cheer noong ipinasara ang ABS-CBN! Mga ugok!
— Yupitda3rd (@yupitda3rd) October 29, 2022
Meanwhile, 92 have been confirmed to have died from Paeng’s passing. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao accounted for most of the fatalities with 61 deaths. Most of those were attributed to the heavy rainfall that caused flooding and landslides that buried communities.
Paeng affected a total of 927,822 families or 3.18 million people. Agriculture sustained damage of P1.27 billion and infrastructure at P896 million.
National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Administrator Benny Antiporda on Wednesday claimed that the storm caused the irrigation system in the country P825.98 million in damages, including P375 million in Mindanao.
Antiporda said, “We will conduct remedy to ensure uninterrupted water supply to our farmers and, of course, we need more funding to repair these damaged irrigation facilities. Rest assured that once repaired, our irrigation system will be more resilient when it comes to disasters like this.”
He contradicted Cagayan Vice Gov. Melvin Vargas Jr’s claim that the water released from the Magat Dam caused the flooding in Tuguegarao City.
The official shared, “Magat Dam is only contributing 16 percent of the whole volume of water at the Cagayan River; there are 26 other tributaries. The release of water from the Magat Dam was done gradually and calculated.”
