Saksi alters extro in solidarity with ABS-CBN
GMA late night newscast Saksi altered its usual extro and closing credits, Saturday morning, July 11 after the House of Representative killed the franchise renewal of GMA’s main rival ABS-CBN.
‘’Para sa Malayang Pilipino, kaisa kami ng lahat sa pagiging Saksi.” said anchors Pia Arcangel and Raffy Tima in their extro, different from usual extro the newscast used for many editions.
Tima substitute for Arcangel’s co-anchor Arnold Clavio, who fill-in for Mike Enriquez for GMA primetime newscast 24 Oras in the same day.
The newscast did not play its theme music during the closing credits instead the lights inside the studio was closed and the background screen behind Arcangel and Tima shows the transmitter of ABS-CBN inside its compound in Quezon City.
During the closing credits also, a photo of ABS-CBN logo on its main gate at Mother Ignacia Street with candles was flashed behind the background screen of the anchors.
GMA News reporters tweeted the solidarity extro of Saksi, Saturday with heart emoticons featuring the colors of ABS-CBN- red, blue and green. Some of them retweeted or quote tweet the extro on their Twitter followers to write messages or the words used for the extro.
Kapuso reporters and artists symphatize with the Kapamilya Network and some criticized the decision of House legislative franchises committee to vote 70–11–2–1(yes-no-inhibit-abstain) to junk bills pertaining to a new 25-year congressional franchise of ABS-CBN.
ABS-CBN News reporter Chiara Zambrano thanked the Saksi team on their symphaty towards the embattled network.
‘’Salamat sa tapang, Saksi. We see you,’’ said Zambrano on a tweet.
The junking of Duterte-controlled House of Representatives on franchise renewal bills of ABS-CBN was criticized by many journalists, artists, academe and organizations. Malacanang maintained their neurality in the issue but the president itself in several speeches was critical against the franchise renewal of the network, with ramblings ranging from the non-airing of his paid political ad during the 2016 presidential election, vowing on closing the network this year and suggesting to the Lopez family to sell the network.
ABS-CBN President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Carlo Katigbak apologized to President Duterte during a Senate hearing last February, promising in refunding the money paid for the airing of the ads.President Duterte accepted the apology and suggested to the network the money refunded for the non-airing of his political ads should donate to charity.
