Jolting moments

By Nora Soriño .

ILIGAN City — I was watching a foreign TV channel Tuesday afternoon when there appeared a piece of breaking news “from the Philippines.” It reported that the ABS-CBN was ordered by the National Telecommunications Commission to “cease and desist” from broadcasting henceforth because of the question of the franchise.

I was jolted in my seat! What? How come it had all come to this during these difficult times?

So, I changed to a PH channel. There at GMA, the topic was that — the “cease and desist.”Although I ain’t no cat, the curiosity was killing me. So I changed channels again in an effort to hear directly from the horse’s mouth.

There, the ABS-CBN, the cause of all the trouble was still broadcasting. One anchor after another did some interviewing– Ted Failon, Noli de Castro, Anthony Taberna. The interviewees who obliged were from the DOJ and someone from the “troublesome” NTC.

Of course, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevara stood his ground– that NTC was wrong.

The interviewee from NTC though– I can’t recall his name stood his ground, too. But of course! And at one point, Taberna remarked that they are still doing broadcasting. Would they ( NTC) do the “unplugging”?

I then had the impression that the network would defy such order which was reported served already around past 3 pm of that day to the network.

Maybe they would, I thought. The network seemed to me, has an air of “confidence” as in “sureness” of what they were doing. But many times, “confidence” or “sureness” comes across as “arrogance.” Maybe that was what was “wrong” with the network?

At length though, it was clear that it won’t defy such order. The network was humbled.

It was initially floated by one interviewee of an anchor that it would comply with such order at 11:59 of said day.

Ah…so… But I was in for another jolt but lesser this time. At around 7 past that evening, it was clear that the network would not wait for 11:59. It was signing off. Pronto!

The image of one beautiful ABS- CBN personality, Charo Santos Concio, of MMK fame in all her Filipiniana splendor appeared on the screen. And then several persons appeared too, each bearing the PH flag. And then the standard words: “Mga kababayan, ang Pambansang Awit.” …And then the ruffling of drums before the singing…
Uhoh… After all that, dramatic signing off, I asked myself: Was that a requiem? Or just a prelude to something more jolting?

I haven’t quite forgotten that particular jolt when another jolt jolted me. Local this time. There’s no water supply in the city. At least 50 percent of the city residents. The connection at the Abaga source in Suarez barangay had burst. But the Iligan City Waterworks System assured the public that they are doing the repairs. It will take five to seven days though.

Five to seven days! And on the 6th day, it was announced that water would flow again. Ah, so okay…

But were Iliganons in for another jolt. There was no water, only air went out of the supposed repaired and interconnected pipes again.

They were to do the procedure again. Another two days of waiting.

After two days, another “palpak!” Again.

Hay… As of press time the city is still in the “trial and error” method. And then there were several posts in FB of several water fountains. Pictures of fountains in the cities in Davao, Pagadian, and CDO appeared They were all beautiful But they could not all compare with this city’s “fountain” — that of the “beautifully” gushing waters of the busted pipes of the Abaga source. Was I jolted again. And I didn’t know whether to laugh– or to cry!

One thing though occurred to me with “sureness.” That life could be a series of jolts one after the other, be it international, national, or local.