(RONNIE CARRASCO III)

BAGO siya lumipat sa ABS-CBN, ilang taon ding nagtrabaho si Boy Abunda sa GMA.

The King of Talk’s last program was “Startalk” kung saan pioneering hosts sila nina Kris Aquino and Lolit Solis. Pero bago ito, Kuya Boy hosted the late night fare, “Show and Tell.”

Towards 2000 ay nakalipat na si Kuya Boy sa Kapamilya network, his point of entry being “The Buzz.”

Kuya Boy and I were constantly together noong mga panahong ‘yon (kahit hindi na namin siya kasama sa “Startalk”). Ours was a friendship — rarely found in showbiz — which transcended and still transcends network affiliations.

Kuya Boy may have jumped ship, pero this day ay nakatatak pa rin sa aming isipan ang madalas niyang sabihin noon, “You don’t burn bridges.”

What are we driving at? Ang tinuran ni Jimmy Bondoc laban sa 65-year-old network ng bansa who can’t be any excited to see it close down.

Kung valid man o hindi ang katwiran ni Jimmy, he’d be the last person na maiisip naming manalanging magsara ang ABS-CBN.

Then who?

Top of mind would be Kris Aquino whose family (noong maluklok bilang Presidente ang kanyang ina) was instrumental why ABS-CBN was back in operations makaraang maipasara noon sa ilalim ng rehimeng Marcos.

Kris had been with the network for the longest time until 2015 when she lost her show.

Pero sa kabila ng indulto (not to be mistaken for insult, ha?), Kris never fired back. May narinig ba tayong masasamang salitang binitiwan ni Kris laban sa ABS-CBN? Nary a word.

Pangalawang tao na posible ring magsalita nang laban sa network would be Cristy Fermin who lost her stinting stint on “The Buzz,”  na ang itinuturong dahilan had a lot to do sa away nila noon ni Nadia Montenegro.

In fairness to Cristy, she never spoke ill of ABS-CBN pero aminado siyang may tampo sa istasyon na pinaglingkuran niya noong mid-90s pa.

Perhaps, Kris and Cristy may be two of the many contractual artists who we could think about at the spur of the moment.

Meanwhile, tumatak din sa amin ang madalas sabihin noon ni Lolit Solis, a virtual outsider (hindi naman kasi siya nagtrabaho sa ABS-CBN but she has a pool of talents doing teleseryes there): “Hindi ka dapat magmalaki sa network.”

Understandable ‘yon sa trabaho niya bilang manager na kailangang maghanap ng trabaho for her talents.

All told, Jimmy Bondoc’s slur is least understandable as it is most unfathomable.

Hindi man siya manager but he’s a singer in need of outlets. Bakit, panghabambuhay ba ang kanyang pagiging AVP ng isang departamento sa PAGCOR?

By 2022, at the end of the Presidential term ay babu na rin siya. So whose career is bound to die sooner?