Sunday, January 10, 2021
VP Robredo says 'supportive' of ABS-CBN franchise bills
Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday said she is supportive of filing measures that would grant ABS-CBN a franchise.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III last week filed a bill seeking to give a fresh franchise to ABS-CBN while Batangas 6th District Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto said she would do the same at the House of Representatives.
"Supportive ako, at tingin ko iyon iyong tamang paraan, iyong paghain ni Senator Tito Sotto saka ni Congresswoman Vilma Santos-Recto ng pag-approve ng panibagong franchise para sa ABS-CBN," Robredo said in her weekly radio show.
(I'm supportive and I think this is the right way, the filing of Sen. Tito Sotto and Cong. Vilma Santos-Recto, to approve a new franchise for ABS-CBN.)
"Kung mayroong kasalanan o mayroong pagkukulang ang ABS, panagutin. Pero kung wala naman, huwag naman sana. Ito, Ka Ely, hindi kasi ito parusa lang sa ABS, eh. Parusa ito sa lahat na umaasa sa ABS-CBN."
(If ABS-CBN has any wrongdoing, then let them pay for it. But if there's none, let us not punish them because it also punishes everyone who depends on the network.)
The Vice President said giving ABS-CBN a franchise would help disseminate information in far-flung areas. After the denial of its franchise in July, the network shuttered 53 regional television and radio stations across the country, on which the public relied for information especially during typhoon season.
"Sa kaiikot namin sa maraming mga lugar, grabe iyong epekto sa kanila—lalo sa malalayo, grabe iyong epekto sa kanila ng pagsasara ng ABS-CBN, dahil maraming malalayong lugar, Ka Ely, na ABS-CBN iyong may presence, at ABS-CBN iyong inaasahan nila para sa information," she said.
(Everywhere we went, especially in far-flung areas, the shutdown gravely affected them because they only rely on ABS-CBN for information.)
Robredo also called for "fair" proceedings.
"Maraming, maraming mga maliliit na mga nagtatrabaho sa ABS na sobrang kawawa na nawalan ng trabaho. Sana sa pag-file nito hindi kasama iyong mga personal na galit," she said.
(There are many small employees in ABS-CBN who lost their jobs. I hope that there's nothing personal in the filing of this bill.)
"Sana very fair iyong prosesong mangyari. Kasi, gaya ng sabi ko, hindi lang ito dine-deserve ng mga taga-ABS, pero dine-deserve ito ng mga communities na nawalan talaga ng source of news saka entertainment noong nawala lalo na iyong mga ABS-CBN regional offices."
(I hope the process will be very fair. Because like I said, ABS-CBN does not only deserve this but also the communities that lost their source of news and entertainment with the shutdown of ABS-CBN regional offices.)
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/10/21/vp-robredo-says-supportive-of-abs-cbn-franchise-bills
Indonesia's deadliest air crashes
The crash of a Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 about four minutes after it took off from Jakarta Saturday is the latest in a series of air accidents to rock Indonesia.
The Southeast Asian archipelago relies heavily on air transport to connect its thousands of islands but has suffered a string of deadly plane crashes in recent years.
The aviation sector is expanding fast as its economy booms but there are concerns airlines are struggling to find enough well-trained personnel to keep up with the rapid growth.
Once banned from European airspace over safety fears, the EU removed all Indonesian airlines from its safety blacklist in 2018 following improvements.
Here are the worst aviation disasters in the nation's history:
NORTHERN SUMATRA
The worst disaster in Indonesia's aviation history left 234 dead in 1997. An Airbus A-300B4 operated by national carrier Garuda Indonesia crashed in a smog-shrouded ravine in North Sumatra, just short of Medan's airport.
LION AIR
A Boeing 737 MAX 8 from budget airline Lion Air crashes off the coast of Indonesia in October 2018, killing 189 passengers and crew members.
Investigators cite problems with the plane's anti-stall system as one of the contributing factors.
JAVA
In 2014, an AirAsia plane plunged into the Java Sea during stormy weather, killing 162 people. The plane was flying from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore.
MEDAN DISASTER
A Mandala Airlines domestic flight crashed shortly after take-off in 2005 into a densely populated suburb in Medan, a city of two million on the island of Sumatra, killing at least 150 including passengers, crew and people on the ground.
MILITARY FAMILIES
In June 2015 an Indonesian military plane crashed shortly after takeoff, also coming down in a residential area in Medan, killing around 122 people on board, many of them servicemen and women and their families. Around 20 people were also killed on the ground and several housing blocks torn apart.
AIR FORCE FIRE
In 1991, an Air Force plane crashed in East Jakarta minutes after take off when an engine caught fire, killing 135 people according to reports. Those who died included 121 airmen, 12 crew and two people on the ground. One passenger survived.
RIVER CRASH
In 1997, a Silk Air flight crashed into a river near the Indonesian city of Palembang while on its way to Singapore from Jakarta. All 104 passengers and crew were killed in what was investigated as a possible pilot murder-suicide.
NEW YEAR'S DAY CRASH
An Adam Air plane plunged into the sea off Sulawesi island on New Year's Day 2007, killing all 102 people on board. The airline was later banned from flying. Indonesian authorities said the pilots lost control after becoming preoccupied with malfunctioning navigational equipment.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/01/10/21/indonesias-deadliest-air-crashes
DOLE undersecretary dies of cardiac arrest due to coronavirus
By Ferdinand Patinio
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Undersecretary Joji Aragon passed away on Sunday. She was 58.
The late labor official succumbed to cardiac arrest due to the dreaded coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
“Please join us in praying for the eternal repose of the soul of Undersecretary Joji Aragon, head of the advocacy/productivity/legislative cluster of the Department of Labor and Employment,” the department said in a statement.
“The entire DOLE family, headed by Secretary Silvestre Bello III, grieves her untimely demise,” it added.
According to DOLE, Aragon was believed to have contracted the virus last month.
“It is believed that she contracted the virus following a procedure she underwent in the second week of December last year,” the statement added.
“DOLE and I lost a Jewel,” Bello said via text message when asked about his reaction on the death of Aragon.