Palanca awardee Jerry Gracio announced his resignation from ABS-CBN to be a nominee of an aspiring labor party-list group he helped organized.
In a letter attached to his tweet on October 4, Gracio stated his decision to accept the second seat nomination for the Kapamilya ng Manggagawang Pilipino group.
Umiyak si Mama when she learned na tinanggap ko ang nomination as rep ng KAPAMILYA Partylist.
Pa’no yan, wala ka nang trabaho.
Ma, nauna nang nawalan ng trabaho mga kasama ko.
After the drama she says: Benta ko kaya lupa ko sa Samar para sa kampanya n’yo?
Ako naman naiyak. pic.twitter.com/PzW37AyfNN
— Jerry B. Grácio (@JerryGracio) October 4, 2021
The acclaimed writer noted that he made this decision after carefully thinking about it.
“Pagkatapos ng mahabang konsultasyon at pag mumuni, nagpapasya ako, kahit na mahirap, kahit walang pera, kahit na magutom—dahil wala namang mayamang politiko sa likod ng partylist na ito—na tanggapin ang nominasyon ng Kapamilya ng Manggagawang Pilipino, at umasa sa taguyod ng manggagawa, kapuso, kapatid at kapamilya,” Gracio said.
“Pormal kong inihahain ang aking leave, at umasa kayo na mananatili sa aking puso ang pinakadakilang aral na natutuhan ko bilang Kapamilya—sa tahanan man o sa kalsada, sa loob man o sa labas ng Kongreso—‘In the service of the Filipino,’” he added.
Gracio, also a recipient of the FAMAS award for Best Screenplay in 2018, explained his reluctance to enter politics despite having a hand in organizing the labor group.
“Manunulat ako, hindi politiko,” he said.
The prevailing struggles of his fellow Kapamilya and the rest of the Filipino people prompted him to join, Gracio pointed out.
“Pero sa tindi ng hirap na dinanas ng kapwa natin Kapamilya, sa patuloy na hirap na dinaranas ng mga pamilyang Pilipino sa kasalukuyan, iniisip ko, habampanahon na lang ba tayong magra-rant sa social media, o kailangan nating itaya ang kinabukasan para sa mag-ambag sa pagbabago,” he said.
In his tweet, Gracio also shared a conversation he had with his mother when he told her about his decision.
“Umiyak si Mama when she learned na tinanggap ko ang nomination as rep ng KAPAMILYA Partylist. Pa’no yan, wala ka nang trabaho. Ma, nauna nang nawalan ng trabaho mga kasama ko,” he said.
“After the drama she says: Benta ko kaya lupa ko sa Samar para sa kampanya n’yo? Ako naman naiyak,” he added.
As of writing, the group has not yet filed its certificate of candidacy before the Commission on Elections.
Last May 2020, ABS-CBN ceased operations of its radio and broadcast channels due to a cease-and-desist order from the National Telecommunications Communications after their franchise expired.
READ: ‘It’s been a year’: ABS-CBN reporters mark 1st anniversary since signing off the air
On July 10, 2020, 70 lawmakers voted against the renewal of ABS-CBN’s license to operate, thus making the closure permanent.
In August of the same year, TV Patrol’s regional stations also followed suit in shutting down.
Thousands of ABS-CBN’s employees, including some journalists, were part of the job cuts following the closure.
READ: #IbalikAngABSCBN: Calls to renew network franchise resurface on local Twitter amid SONA 2021