Congresswoman Precious Hipolito-Castelo of Quezon City is running for her second term as the representative of Quezon City’s second ditrict. The district covers five barangays: Bagong Silangan, Batasan Hills, Commonwealth, Holy Spirit, and Payatas.
Her husband, Councilor Winston Castelo, is running to be the Vice Mayor of the city with Representative Michael Defensor of Anakalusugan party-list at the top of the ticket. They are all allied with former Senator and presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.
Back in July 2020, Hipolito-Castelo was one of the 70 House members who voted to deny the application of broadcast giant ABS-CBN for a new 25-year franchise. As a former news anchor for IBC-13 Express Balita, was it too much for her constituents to expect that she knows the importance for media institutions to do their work without fear of retribution from those wielding political power?
Congresswoman Precious Hipolito-Castelo of Quezon City voted against the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise (Credits: Castelo’s Facebook page)
As a former showbiz personality from “That’s Entertainment,” she should know that ABS-CBN’s closure will kill the livelihood of its employees – especially those working behind the camera. As one of the House representatives from Quezon City, she should have listened to Mayor Joy Belmonte who rightfully pointed out that ABS-CBN is one of the city’s top taxpayers and that its closure will adversely affect the families of thousands of QC residents who work on the network.
She must have also recalled that during this pandemic thousands of her constituents in DISTRICT TWO including Barangay Batasan Hills and Payatas received relief assistance from ABS-CBN’s “Pantawid ng pag-ibig” program, even though she and her husband seems to have gone missing in action.
But of course, all of that didn’t matter to her. She needed to show off her fealty to Rodrigo Duterte, Philippine press freedom and the livelihood of 11,000 people be damned. She didn’t even bother to pretend to know how her constituents feel about the issue.
Hipolito-Castelo’s main challenger is Ralph Tulfo, the son of veteran media personality and leading senatorial candidate Raffy Tulfo. Given that her husband has served the district either as councilor or congressman since the 1990s, it is likely that Hipolito-Castelo will win her reelection bid. Nevertheless, she has to be held accountable for her vote against granting a new franchise for ABS-CBN based on flimsy grounds.
The Filipino Scribe (TFS) is managed by Mark Pere Madrona, a multi-awarded writer and licensed professional teacher from the Philippines.
Mr. Madrona earned his master’s degree in history from the University of the Philippines-Diliman last 2020. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in journalism cum laude from the same university back in 2010. His area of interests includes Philippine journalism, history, and politics as well as social media.
Know more about him here: https://www.filipinoscribe.com/about/.
The Filipino Scribe (TFS) is managed by Mark Pere Madrona, a multi-awarded writer and licensed professional teacher from the Philippines.
Mr. Madrona earned his master’s degree in history from the University of the Philippines-Diliman last 2020. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in journalism cum laude from the same university back in 2010. His area of interests includes Philippine journalism, history, and politics as well as social media.
Know more about him here: https://www.filipinoscribe.com/about/.
