11,000 workers suffering from lawmakers’ lack of urgency

It has been a month since the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) shut down ABS-CBN. The Supreme Court has not granted or denied the network’s petition to restrain or enjoin the enforcement of the closure order of the NTC. And Congress is moving at a snail’s pace in its deliberations on the station’s application for the renewal of its franchise.

Meanwhile, the television audience is packed with citizens and other persons watching for “breaking news,” news that will break hope for them or news that will break their hearts.

Sadly, the concern is in the hands of people in government who appear not to care at all about the extreme urgency of its resolution. The fate of ABS-CBN’s 11,000 or so employees, especially those who are under “no-work-no-pay” arrangement, must be known so that, if the results are adverse to them, they can look for alternatives that will prevent them from saying “I can’t breathe.”

Efren C. Carag
Parañaque City
caraglaw@yahoo.com