News presenter Dhobie de Guzman, who has been decorating popular news shows in the northern Philippines for more than a decade, has also received a layoff strike following the closure of his provincial station.
He was among the hundreds of journalists who lost their jobs at ABS-CBN as a broadcasting company when revenue through advertisements declined after their air license expired last May.
The closure of 53 provincial television and radio stations broadcast in six languages will remove millions of Filipino viewers from their main local news and entertainment sources.
"It hurts. You do your job responsibly, share to change the lives of ordinary people and eventually you lose the platform to do that," de Guzman, 43, told AFP after delivering the latest "TV Patrol North Luzon" news in a studio 240 kilometers from the capital Manila.
Congress last month rejected ABS-CBN's application for a new 25-year franchise and the Supreme Court's petition on the issue was rejected.
ABS-CBN, owned by the wealthy Lopez family, aired continuously since 1953 except between 1972 and 1986 when it was seized by dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
President Rodrigo Duterte has denied any involvement in Congress' decision to reject ABS-CBN's application, but has previously promised to block his license renewal.
After the closure of the provincial station last Friday, ABS-CBN warned that more parts of the network would be closed, many talented people would shift as well as thousands of jobs including staff and contractors could no longer work together.
"Not everyone has access to the internet, radio or newspapers. Eliminating television broadcasts seems to deprive the public of the right to receive accurate information," said Bagica TV reporter Micaella Ilao.
The Philippine Association of Foreign Correspondents described the closure of ABS-CBN regional stations as a black day for the country's independent media.
ABS-CBN was allowed to file a new petition, but its success requires a member of Congress controlled by Duterte's allies who will end his term in 2022 to change their thinking.
SOURCE: BH