(Postcript) ABS-CBN Talent Center cancels Tuna Festival show of John Lloyd Cruz, Gerald Anderson & Kim Chiu

I just arrived tonight from Davao City (which is celebrating its Kadayawan Festival) where I met up with my balikbayan friend Rey whom I have not seen since 1991. We had a few hours to catch up on the times gone by and suffice to say, we both had fun updating each other on how we’ve been.

Since I only hitched a ride with my best friend Francis, I had to leave before 5 in the afternoon and after buying a few things at SM Davao which was so packed with festival shoppers, we started our way home.

Earlier, I noticed a poster inside the mall announcing the appearance of the two lead starts of ABS-CBN‘s teleserye, “MY GIRL“, Gensan’s very own Gerald Anderson and Kim Chiu at their upper floor that very same time.

That got me into thinking how unfair ABS-CBN really is.

Yesterday, Friday, when I was preparing to blog about the upcoming shows of the artists of competing television stations ABS-CBN and GMA for the Tuna Festival, I received some discouraging news.

According to an ABS-CBN Gensan Marketing executive, the August 30 KCC Mall of GenSan show of Gerald and Kim together with John Lloyd Cruz which they have been announcing on their local TV programs, Magandang Umaga Socsargen and TV Patrol Socsargen and FM radio programs for the past two weeks has been cancelled!

The reason?

The fear of the ABS-CBN Talent Center that Gen. Santos City may not be a safe place to bring their priced stars due to the recent events in Lanao del Norte and North Cotabato.

Whaaat the f….ck!!!!!?????

I was so furious when I heard this flimsy and stupid excuse not wanting to believe that they did it again! During the last Kalilangan Festival in February, they also cancelled the supposedly appearance of the band CUESHE!

Granting that their Talent Center (headed by Mr. Johnny Manahan) has all the right to ensure the safety of their wards, why single out GenSan only?

This is an insult to the capabilities of the local security and peace-keeping forces and a mindless and insensitive message to the local government of GenSan which has been ABS-CBN’s biggest advertiser for the past five years in Region XII.

And what about GMA, the Kapuso Network?

Thank God, they’re not leaving us out in the cold and are in fact, pushing through with their Tuna Fest Kapuso Day with Regine Velasquez, Mark Anthony Fernandez, Dennis Trillo and many more. Same thing with SMART, Coca Cola, San Miguel, K101 and RMN who have also booked Manila-based artists for the Tuna Festival, including Kamikazee, among others.

That leaves ABS-CBN alone in their decision to forbid their artists to perform here, including Gerald Anderson who hails from this place and whose mother still LIVES HERE in their old house at Doña Soledad Subdivision!

Surely, something must be done about this affront not only on the local authorities but to all of us!

The comments and response section is all yours, my dear readers.

I have said my piece.

POSTSCRIPT:

Good news!  ABS-CBN Talent Center must have finally heard all our collective voices and agreed that in place of John Lloyd Cruz, Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson, they will be bringing in at the KCC Mall of GenSan on September 6, 2007 the latest Grand Prize Winner of the Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition Season II – DYAAARAAAAANNNN – Davao City’s very own comic artist, MR. RUBEN GONZAGA!!!!

So, what do you have to say now, people of the Philippines????