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Ben&Ben donates “Nakikinig Ka Ba Sa Akin” earnings to retrenched ABS-CBN employees

Hannah Bisnar
Sep 19, 2020
2 min read

MUSIC OF KINDNESS. Ben & Ben’s official Twitter account where updates about them and their music are shown. ©Destura

John Holmes once said, “There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down to others and lifting them up.” To the surprise of many, Filipino folk-pop band Ben&Ben offered earnings from their recently released song “Nakikinig Ka Ba Sa Akin” to aid plenty of staff workers of ABS-CBN. But, what exactly happened?

Not too long ago, an unfortunate amount of employees and personnel were laid off with the shutdown of ABS-CBN. August 31, 2020, was a heartbreaking day for all the workers and employees forced to say goodbye to their jobs. Most of the employees have found new jobs, a large number of employees also starting their own YouTube channel.

President Rodrigo Duterte made a move to close ABS-CBN, previously accusing them of being biased for favoring a political opponent in the 2016 presidential election. He earlier made a warning saying that he would not allow the renewal of their franchise.

The news about the network’s shutdown came as a shock for their audience, leaving many fearful of not seeing their idols on TV again. When Ben&Ben heard of the news, they got to their feet and, together as a band, performed a generous deed.

The earnings of the song “Nakikinig ka na ba” by Ben&Ben went directly to thousands of employees through ABS-CBN’s Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation.

Maya Angelou said,

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”

Everyone truly is blessed to have such a generous group of people to support and help those whose livelihoods were affected during this situation.

The song premiered right after ABS-CBN was denied their franchise. The band then added text in the music video saying “Isang alay sa ating mga kapamilya, para sa bigat ng mga pangyayari ngayon.”

During this time, we may encounter obstacles along the way, however, Ben&Ben exemplify a respectable manner of facing crises. With the example set by the band, we may encourage people to keep moving forward and to keep trying their best.