What's next for AllTV?

TODAY being the last day of February, viewers are banking on AllTV's promise that the Villar-owned network — as per its media release — is going full throttle in its operations this March.

Supposedly if we're not mistaken, it should have taken off the ground between the third and fourth quarters of 2022.

However, so many factors had to be taken into account such as enhancing its signal to achieve greater audience reach across the country, hence the understandable delay.

Content-wise, tasked to oversee how this is successfully accomplished is no less than Willie Revillame, the owner's most trusted figure.

But as it is, even Willie finds it difficult to position his own program at the home he had given up his seven-year GMA stay for. It's been a little over a year since Willie bowed out of GMA, refusing to ink a renewal contract.

To be fair, the Wowowin host made public that it would have been dishonorable of him had he agreed to slug it out with GMA while he already grabbed the Villar's handsomer offer.

As a curious — if not antsy — viewer, whatever happened to AllTV's hyped lofty plans that would put them at par with the other networks?

As an online entertainment columnist wrote, it appears that former Senator Villar, the AllTV big cheese, is not willing enough to go on a spending spree following Mr. Manny Pangilinan's regrettable mistake of buying TV5 in 2009.

If true as it seems to be from an industry pundit's point of view, then Willie must be understandably facing a predicament with regard to this.

Willie — whose powers are not necessarily limitless — can only function so much. For how can he make his brilliant ideas a reality if he's only allowed to make do with resources available to him?

Let me tackle the case of Willie's bosom buddy Randy Santiago.

Theirs is like Damon and Pythias' friendship that began when Willie was simply one of Randy's so-called Hawi Boys. As such, it was Willie's job to shield then-super popular Randy from mobbing fans a la bodyguard.

According to Randy in his interview last year, Willie had offered him to join AllTV but he couldn't say yes as he still had an existing contract with TV5 until December.

January came. No news yet which AllTV show Randy would fit in. Better yet, there is exactly no confirmed upcoming show neither for Randy nor any artist reported to have signed up with the network.

Assuming that AllTV would be in full swing this March, new shows are ideally being planned months ahead.

Likewise, artists joining this lineup of programs are named and thus written about in network-generated media releases for advanced publicity.

We're already in the first quarter of 2023, but there hovers a disturbing silence when AllTV's presence should be loud and clear.

Since early February, Willie's "Wowowin," Toni Gonzaga's eponymous show as well as Ruffa Gutierrez, Ciara Sotto and Mariel Rodriguez's "M.O.M." have temporarily ceased to air, uncertain when they'd return on TV (but no worries, their respective talent fees are paid as per their contracts).

If it's any consolation, however, Senator Mark Villar assured the public that the family-owned network is here to stay.

Meanwhile, in a related development, Cristy Fermin revealed on her online program "Showbiz Now Na" that Willie's camp of late has been sending feelers contemplating his return to GMA.

"Pero mahihirapan si Willie. May pinamilian kasi siya: between AllTV and GMA which was supposed to renew his Wowowin contract for one to two years."

Cristy thus questioned Willie when the latter announced he had no idea if his show was among those which wouldn't air temporarily, "If so, why the feelers?!"

***

GUESS WHO? This alleged two-timing actor (TTA) is all talk but hardly exerts any effort to pay his youngest kid a with his a former actress (FA) a visit.

Instead, the TTA took to his synchronized social media accounts his birthday greeting to his daughter.

It's been over a year since the kid's parents had decided to take separate ways with the FA settling down abroad. An alleged third party on the TTA's part is believed to be the cause of their falling out.

The FA had a previous relationship before the TTA came into her life, so did the latter who sires two other daughters.

Their respective past was no big deal as their relationship lasted for a good six years before the TTA found a new love of his life.

Just recently, the TTA posted his birthday greeting to his daughter and how he misses her every single day. While it was a simple yet touching fatherly gesture, the netizens couldn't help but take a swipe at the TTA.

"Puro siya kuda, kulang naman sa gawa!" the netizens react in unison.

Translated: if there's a will, there's a way. Just how much would it cost the TTA to personally see his daughter, to think he has a regular TV show he can more than survive with?

For what worth is the fatherly affection he professes to have for his daughter if he can't even spend on a roundtrip ticket to visit her?