Kim Chiu has never been this expressive of what she felt she direly needed to bring out—that is, her desolation of having her home of 14 years as the “Chinita Princess” shuttered when ABS-CBN went off the air.
For her it was heartbreaking, considering how the network offered immense opportunities for ordinary people like her—a simple, unassuming lass from Cebu City—to achieve her dreams, and continued to do so with the many platforms it has in its disposal to make people shine.
“Bakit n’yo tatanggalan ng pangarap at pag-asa ang isang tao?,” a teary-eyed Kim said on the “Laban Kapamilya” Facebook Live event on Friday, May 8, with other top stars and employees of ABS-CBN. “Bakit n’yo tatanggalan ang tao na, ‘Gusto ko sumali sa ganito dahil kapag nanalo ako ay maipagamot ko ‘yung lola ko.”
Kim was discovered after being hailed as the Big Winner of Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition in 2006. She would then move on to become a topnotch, premiere actress on film and teleseryes, with her first major drama Sana Maulit Muli aired in 2007 with then partner Gerald Anderson. Kim had an ongoing afternoon drama Love Thy Woman with current flame Xian Lim before production halted in March due to the Enhanced Community Quarantine.
"Iyong saya ng bawat Pilipino, kahit maliit lang, pinagkaitan n’yo sila ng saya sa panahon na ito," she stressed.
"Nangarap lang ako na gusto ko balang araw ay makita ko ang sarili ko sa telebisyon, na gusto ko lang balang araw ay maiahon ko iyong pamilya ko sa hirap," she remarked. “So nilagyan ko ng pangarap iyong sarili ko, na dahil sa istasyon na iyon ay posibleng matutulungan ko ang pamilya ko --may posibilidad na makakaalis kami sa maliit na kuwarto, na maia-ahon ko sila."
Kim pointed out that closing down the network will not only make its workers lose their primary source of livelihood but also deny dreamers like her to get that chance to take the spotlight, with such avenues as the talent reality show The Voice Teens and the contests Tawag Ng Tanghalan, “Mini Miss U” on It’s Showtime.
“Kung nagawa ko, magagawa din iyon ng ibang tao, sa tulong ng ABS-CBN,” she further noted.
Kim then pleaded the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to reconsider its order and let the station go back on air.
"Sa NTC, dumudulog kami sa inyo na sana bawiin ninyo na iyong cease and desist order. Sana hayaan n’yo na kaming mamahayag, at sana ibalik ninyo na ang ABS-CBN," Kim said.
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*Video courtesy: Kim Chiu’s FB