Making amends for franchise renewal?

QUITE a lof of viewers are wondering if there’s a directive from ABS- CBN top management cascaded to all program managers to be lenient with their guests particularly those who are running for public office under the administration party this coming mid- term elections.

On February 3, ( nine days before the campaign period for the national level officially kicks off today) “Goin’ Bulilit” had senatorial aspirant Francis Tolentino ( who had also served as MMDA Chairman under the PNoy government) as guest.

To be fair, Tolentino’s apolitical side was played up more than using his guest appearance as a campaign tool.

Later that night, “Gandang Gabi Vice” devoted ample airtime to former Special Assistant to the President Bong Go, also one of the administration party’s senatorial bets.

In the program, Vice Ganda managed to bring out the other side of Go who was made to follow

some hip hop dance moves to the delight of the studio audience. “W ala pong pulitika rito,

kasiyahan lang po,” Vice Ganda said at least twice as he later took the opportunity to plug the “Maalaala Mo Kaya” episode ( aired on February 9) featuring Go’s story.

Such sightings of Tolentino and Go ( and perhaps a lot more) inevitably evoked reactions from the viewers.

Were those separate guestings ABS- CBN’s way of making amends with the President who, as we all know, is “hot” on disenfranchising the network, the case springing from its non- airing of his paid presidential campaign ads in 2016?

“Hindi manka si bum ab aw iang Dos directly to Duterte, the station is making up for its shortcomings via the administration candidates, diba?” a viewer told Vignettes.

With the President’s softening of heart, does life go on for the Kapamilya Network after its franchise expires in 2020?