ABS-CBN has issued an apology to Agusan Del Norte First Representative Lawrence Fortun and the people of Butuan City.
This was after Fortun called out the Kapamilya network and its teleserye, A Soldier's Heart, for its supposedly "unrealistic" and "offensive" portrayal of Butuan City.
The statement issued by the Kapamilya neywork on January 23, 2020, reads: "ABS-CBN would like to apologize to Agusan Del Norte Rep. Lawrence Fortun and the people of Butuan City if the scenes in the TV series ‘A Soldier’s Heart’ have offended them. While the incident portrayed in the series was fictitious, there was mention of the city name.
"We would like to assure them that there was no deliberate intention to portray Butuan City negatively in the show. We acknowledge that Butuan is one of the most beautiful and peaceful cities in the country."
SOLON'S COMPLAINT AGAINST A SOLDIER'S HEART
On Thursday, January 23, Fortun issued a statement to express his disapproval of the way Butuan City was depicted in the pilot episode of A Soldier's Heart, which aired last Monday, January 20.
According to Fortun's statement, he felt "dismayed" after the episode of A Soldier's Heart portrayed Butuan City as a "a hotbed of chaos."
He also emphasized that Butuan City was never known to be a "hub of extremism and terrorism."
In the show's pilot episode, Alex (Gerald Anderson) volunteered to become part of the military's mission to track the online activities of a rebel group, headed by Abdul Waajid (Sid Lucero). The rebel group had previously launched a terror attack in Butuan City.
In the middle of the mission, Alex gets caught in an ambush by the rebels within area, that wounded him and killed soldiers and Alex's colleagues.
The lawmaker also told ABS-CBN to air an "appropriate disclaimer," and even asked the producers to "review and reconsider the content and story elements."
ABS-CBN did not mention this in their statement, but A Soldier's Heart airs a disclaimer at the start of each episode.
The disclaimer says, "Ang mga pangalan, tauhan, lugar at insidente sa programang ito ay kathang-isip lamang at hindi nagpapakita ng mga totoong tao, lugar o kaganapan o kumakatawan sa anumang aktwal na organisasyon. Anumang pagkakahalintulad sa totoong buhay ay hindi sinasadya at nagkataon lamang."
Fortun also mentioned at the end of his statement that ABS-CBN should have already learned from what happened in Bagani.
Bagani, a 2018 fantasy drama series starring Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil, received a complaint from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) about the use of the term "Bagani."
CHED Commissioner Ronald Adamat said that "BAGANI is an IP [indigenous people's] term and should not be used in a teleserye that is devoid of its true meaning and substance."
With this, Fortun said that the Bagani incident should have already served as a "lesson" for the Kapamilya network to be "more circumspect and sensitive."
Here is Fortun's full statement:
"Attention ABS-CBN, A Soldier's Heart producers
"As a Butuanon who was born and raised in a city that was and has never been known to be a hub of extremism and terrorism, I am dismayed by the portrayal of Butuan as a hotbed of chaos. The depiction is not only unrealistic, but it is also offensive because it is destroying the collective efforts of the people of Butuan to promote the Home of the Balangays as a tourist destination for history and culture and a hub of opportunities.
"I urge ABS-CBN to immediately air an appropriate disclaimer, review and reconsider the content and story elements of the teleserye in order not to further besmirch the reputation of our historic city.
"Better still, as partial recompense for the damage this imprudence may have caused Butuan and its people, we implore upon them to depict the real Butuan and feature stories about it in their news and public affairs programs.
"We encourage you to send your team over and our public information and tourism offices shall be most willing to show them around so they can see and experience for themselves the beauty of Butuan. They might just love to keep coming back. The lessons of 'Bagani' should have taught them to be more circumspect and sensitive."
Fortun is one of the lawmakers who support the renewal of ABS-CBN's franchise, which is about to expire in March 2020.