To the 11,000 ABS-CBN employees who lost their jobs

I have been watching, reading, and hearing stories from ABS-CBN ex-employees about their journey while saying goodbye to the company they had worked with for many years.

Some of them started their careers fresh from college, or even did their on-the-job training at ABS-CBN, spanning a year to more than 30 years spent with the company. I found myself crying most of the time hearing these stories, because I think I understood where they were coming from. When you work for a company and you started working with that company to the point that you find yourself staying there most of your life, it’s really hard to let go and “move on,” like what other people are saying to them. Because in truth, you’re not just leaving your work, you’re leaving a big part of your life, and it is never easy.

I hope people understand that not all stay in one company because they don’t have a choice. Most of the time, they choose to stay not because of money or fame but because their jobs give them purpose. They stay because they believe they are making a difference, no matter how seemingly small that difference is. They stay because it gives them the freedom to be themselves, to learn and grow from their successes and failures. They stay because people around them make them feel important. That they are heard and appreciated. They stay because they eventually make their bosses and co-workers their family. They stay because they actually love their work and it loves them back. They stay because they are genuinely happy where they are.

And because of these reasons, it’s very difficult to leave something that has made such a difference in your life. It’s hard enough to leave when you choose to move on to a new chapter of your life, but it’s much harder if you were forced to leave because someone else made that decision for you and you were just a victim of circumstance.

So, for those people who lost their jobs because of the closure of ABS-CBN, I hope you know that a lot of people are mourning with you. Not just because you lost your source of income, but because you lost a family. And for those who still are taunting these people, I hope you don’t find yourselves one day in the same situation. Because losing or having to leave a job you’ve had for a very long time is like losing someone you love.

Fiona A. Fajardo,
[email protected]