“GINA LOPEZ She truly loved PRRD and voted for him. She told me so. And she did all she could to protect our ecology, restore its balance and earn for PRRD a reputation as its champion.Before joining government, Gina headed the ABS-CBN Foundation which was the network’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) face. She had the heart and mind for it. She was the soul of the Foundation. From my direct knowledge, the Foundation was heavily invested – apart from saving forests, creating new wealth for endangered mining communities and reviving the Pasig River – in saving abused children and women; basic education through e-learning; disaster relief; resettlement of displaced persons and communities; livelihood training; and employee health and wellness.Long before she was called by God to return Home, she already belonged to the heavens. And I can hear her clearly now in my subconscious calling out to PRRD to help save the network, save the people it employs, save a valuable information resource that serves Filipinos worldwide.As for me, I confess I have a personal interest. You see, Mr. President, my daughter, who is seriously handicapped by an ailment that’s incurable, works there. She’s been there for 20yrs just selling airtime of the most wholesome shows on ABS-CBN’s cable TV. That’s all she does. If she loses her job, she will be added to the list of unemployed that’s already rising rapidly on account of Covid19 and the global recession. Filipinos are fast losing their jobs here and abroad. If Congress fails to grant it a new franchise by early next week, power politics will add over 11,000 innocent people to the ranks of the unemployed. I ask for your intervention Mr President to save the situation. Only you can end the impasse. That’s the reality. At the very least Sir, do it for Gina who stuck her neck out for you time and again to save the environment in your name for current and future Filipino generations. End the terror that the employees of ABS-CBN are facing Mr President. We need your leadership to unite the country and fight the bigger and more important battles facing the nation that threaten our survival. Maraming salamat po.”Rafael Alunan IIIFormer DILG secretary
