Stars jobless

BY NESTOR CUARTERO

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JUST A THOUGHT: “Dream­ing, after all, is a form of plan­ning.” – Gloria Steinem

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FATE OF STARS: What fate awaits the stars and starlets of ABS-CBN?

Now that the giant network, the largest in the country, has been totally cut off the air, what happens to their stable of actors?

Following the suspension of free TV operations in May and the subsequent cancellation by the National Telecommunica­tions Commission (NTC) of its digital platforms in July, many of the country’s brightest, most talented actors and actresses are suddenly without jobs.

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STAR MAKER: ABS-CBN is home to some of the best and the brightest in the entertain­ment industry. Consider: Piolo Pascual, John Lloyd Cruz, Jer­icho Rosales, Liza Soberano, Enrique Gil, Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla, James Reid, Nadine Lustre, Bea Alonzo, Angel Locsin, Toni Gonzaga, Luis Manzano, Angelica Pan­ganiban, Judy Ann Santos, Kim Chiu, Gerald Anderson, among so many others.

In the middle of this pan­demic, they are suddenly with­out livelihood.

Note that while acting is their main occupation, artists get so much more through en­dorsements, advertisements. The popularity brought about by their TV and movie proj­ects helps them land hefty contracts as endorsers.

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HOPEFULLY TEMPORARILY: Before the NTC cancelled the operation of the network’s digital platforms, shows like “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” and “Love Thy Woman” have re­sumed filming.

Some network shows were in fact seen in ABS-CBN’s re­lated platforms, like Jeepney TV and DZMM teleradyo.

All those are gone now, but hopefully for the moment only.

Aside from feeling sorry for the plight of its stars, we feel just as sad for network’s 11,000 plus employees. They have just joined the country’s growing ranks of unemployed.