Christian Esguerra decries ABS-CBN ‘YSpeak’ episode removal

Christian Esguerra has criticized the apparent takedown of his recent appearance on ABS-CBN’s YSpeak, which went private on YouTube just days after its airing.

The episode drew widespread attention on social media following a word association segment where Esguerra gave candid reactions to several public figures, including Senators Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Rodante Marcoleta, and Robin Padilla, as well as Vice President Sara Duterte.

“Mukhang lumalabas na natakot ‘yung mga nasa likod nitong program doon sa possible backlash. Mukhang natakot sila roon sa mga naging takbo ng discussion,” Esguerra said during the Tuesday edition of his popular Facts First podcast.

While saying he was not directly blaming anyone, Esguerra expressed disappointment over what he viewed as another instance of censorship.

“Ang sa akin, very unfortunate kasi na-censor na naman ako eh. Dati na akong nase-censor noong nasa ABS-CBN ako eh. Ngayon, na-censor na naman. I’m not blaming anyone. Pero ang sa akin lang, it sends the wrong message doon sa mga kabataan na sinisikap sana nila at natin na hubugin, mas patapangin, mas gawing engaged,” he said.

“Kasi pag pinanood niyo naman po ‘yung buong segment na ‘yun, na hindi lang naman po nakatutok doon sa word association portion na ‘yun, I felt na there was that deep connection with the youth, because I could sense the engagement of the youth, how involved they were, how dedicated they were to the cause,” he added.

Esguerra talked about the importance of civic duty during his YSpeak guesting and encouraged young people to take a more active role in society. He said institutions should lead by example if they expect them to do so.

“Hindi po tayo nagtatapang-tapangan. Lahat naman po tayo ay mayroong kaduwagan. Pero ang tanong, what do we do about these moments of weakness if you feel like you’re getting weak o di kaya feeling mo natatakot ka? Di ba, kino-conquer mo ‘yun eh. Lahat naman tayo may kanya-kanyang takot. Pero it’s a matter of how you respond to this fear — that actually makes a difference,” he said.

Pointing to his own experience with the Kapamilya Network, Esguerra said he hopes they can become more fearless and learn from what happened during the Duterte administration.

“Sana lang next time, mas maging matapang, mas matutong manindigan. Kasi habang natatakot tayo, ito na ‘yung nangyari sa ABS-CBN, di ba…nawalan ng prangkisa, katakot-takot na pambabalahurang ginawa sa network ni Duterte, duwag pa rin, di ba? After Duterte, medyo tumapang na nang kaunti ang network. Pero makikita niyo no, especially during that time, talagang tinatapak-tapakan na ni Duterte, takot pa rin. Nawala na ‘yung prangkisa, takot pa rin. Oh tingnan niyo, saan dinala ‘yung network dito sa takot na ito?” he said.

Watch the video below: