GMA's conflict with probe team

[joanne_cornes]

guys, gusto ko lang tanong kung anu comment nyo dun sa hindi pag-air nung segment ng probe team tungkol sa lifwestyle check nung PAGCOR chairman nung sept16!! well, a week after that that, pinalabas na with added researches by cheche lazaro! pero before ipalabas e may binasa pa si arnold clavio sa saksi na parang sinasabi na walang kahit anung napatunayan yung mga naresearch nila! that time e si bernadette yung kasama ni arnold clavio sa saksi at nung ibinalik na sa kanila yung camera e naka-nguso na si bernadette na parang na-offend at naiiyak na hindi maintindihan (kanya kasi mismo yung report na yun) then tinapos naman ni bernadette yung show pero even before patayin yung camera e binigay na nya kagad kay arnold yung script nya at umalis na!! e diba usually e inaantay muna nila na pataying yung camera habang naka-pose? tapos kinabukasan e nagbibiruan pa sina arnold clavio sa UNANG HIRIT tungkol sa WALK OUT! then, the following nights e wala pa rin sa show sina mike at vicky kaya take over ulit si arnold clavio pero this time, hindi na si bernadette yung pumalit kay vicky!! si pia archanghel na!!! VERY UNUSUAL!!!!! what can you say guys!!!!!!

[bluechips]

medyo badtrip nga si bernadet

when i watched the show, i found out, it was bernadet's story pala and she's been researching it for months.

okay naman ang story, so i don't see why GMA disallowed it.

[PEXchubMALE]

ng dahil sa may kinikilingan silang mataas na pinunuo ng pamahalaan nag desisyon na ang gma7 na tanggalin na ang probe team sa istatsyon.............nabasa kolang ito totoo ba???

[whyte]

:whatthe:
sa title mo parang totoo na tapos nagtatanong ka pala.

IMO, it would be more of GMA7's loss kung tatanggalin nila ito. and i believe hindi ito totoo. :)

AND I just called PROBE TEAM. 922-9273. :whatthe: nagulat yung kausap ko ng tinanong ko tungkol balitang ito.

maybe huli siya sa balita OR walang katotohanan ito.

[fatgrrl_slim]

Kala ko naman confirmed na.

So ano ba talaga?

Sana hindi totoo, kundi, sobrang kagaguhan na yun on GMA's part.

[whyte]

i dont think this is true.

[WaGGy]

Originally posted by whyte
i dont think this is true.

same here...

isang episode lang ang nagkaproblema aalisin na agad yung buong show? I doubt it.

[whyte]

it had BIGGER PROBLEMS than this before. and it survived it all...

[yEyAn_21]

i too dont think its true..

[shox920]

I dont think GMA will drop Probe Team neither CheChe Lazaro

[sebastian99]

'Probe Team' fears axing;
Nothing final yet: network
Posted:0:18 AM (Manila Time) | Sept. 29, 2003
By Alcuin Papa
Inquirer News Service


THE FRUITFUL 16-year relationship between GMA 7 and award-winning show "The Probe Team" made a turn for the worse on Friday night after the television network indicated it would ax the show over an episode that featured a lifestyle check on Efraim Genuino, chair of the state-owned Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

But GMA 7 chief for corporate communications Butch Raquel told the Inquirer that nothing was final yet. GMA 7 network is a parent company of INQ7.net.

"There have been discussions with Che-Che [Lazaro] about what has happened. But things have yet to be finalized," Raquel said in a phone interview. Lazaro is the executive producer of the show.

A source involved in the show said GMA 7 vice president Marissa Flores and GMA 7 project unit manager Ricky Escudero went to the house of Lazaro in Forbes Park, Makati, on Friday night, just a few hours before Lazaro left for Boston.

The three even had dinner at around 9 p.m. before discussions about the future of the show started, according to the source who asked not to be named.

After dinner, the GMA 7 officials asked Lazaro when the last airing date of "The Probe Team" would be.

"It was all verbal and they [GMA 7 officials] said they could not work together with The Probe Team anymore. When they asked for the last airing date, they effectively served notice (of the axing)," the source said.

Lazaro responded that "it was not for me to say" when the last episode would be aired.

The Probe Team's contract with the broadcasting giant is due to expire in January.

Asked if the episode of the lifestyle check on Genuino prompted the axing of the show, the source said "there could be no other reason."

"The network could have waited for the expiration of the contract, but they didn't," the source said. "Perhaps the network was afraid of the backlash and worried that there was a perception of censorship. They think it was us who inflicted this problem."

Lazaro, the source said, was also made to promise "to keep quiet" on the axing of the show and not talk to media.

As of press time, Lazaro was in Boston and could not be reached on her cell phone. "I don't think it has sunk in for her and everything is in limbo. Because it was all verbal and there are issues to be resolved about the contract," the source said.

But before she left, Lazaro met with her staff. "She said, 'I fought on a matter of principles. I will not beg for airtime,'" the source said.

If ever the break between GMA 7 and The Probe Team becomes final, "it will be out of mutual consent between both parties out of respect and high regard for each other," Raquel said.

The controversial episode was not shown the other week after the network said the episode lacked documentary evidence on Genuino. On Tuesday, the episode was finally aired but the controversy did not end there.

At the end of Tuesday's "Saksi," anchor Arnold Clavio read a statement from GMA 7 management which said the episode still did not prove Genuino owned shares in several corporations that he did not declare in his statements of assets and liabilities for February 2001, December 2001 and December 2002.

After Clavio read the statement, the camera panned to co-anchor Bernadette Sembrano who worked on the Genuino story. Sembrano looked visibly upset over the statement.

When the credits for the show were rolling, Sembrano handed her papers to Clavio and walked away from the set. "It was obvious that she (Sembrano) was upset at what happened," the source said.

Sembrano has since stopped anchoring for "Saksi" and the network's weekend news breaks. She is set to meet with network officials Monday. There is talk of a possible suspension.

[abscbn]

and thats what they call "serbisyong totoo". i dont think the probe team would do such an exposE without researching, backing it up and knowing the implications that may arise from its airing. besides, they have several days to decide if they will air it or not.

[yeni]

i have the highest respect for the probe team. this is the only gma show that i like and respect. why are networks having problems with probes? i think BBC is also having a similar problem.

[ambertookme]

huwag naman sana.pero blocktimer lang sila and that they can do nothing if GMA mngt decides to ax their show.

[Endymionn]

Probe Team is the only sensible late night TV News Program on television to date. If GMA 7 would axed it, it will be a huge lost on their image and credibility.

Taena nila, yun na nga lang ang tanging panlaban nila sa ABS CBN tapos tatablahin pa nila. Wait till Che Che Lazaro signs a contract with the other station. Tingnan ko lang kung me laban pa ang GMA-7 kapag ganun.

Back in college, I admired Che Che Lazaro for her adaptability in various situations and objectivity in delivering her documentaries on television. Siya ang isa sa katangi-tanging Journalists na nag-emerge sa Pilipinas. Saan ka nakakita na host na pwedeng maging kundoktora, maki-blend sa mga squatters sa Luneta at makihalubilo sa pinaka-mayayaman the following day?

I admired and tried to emulate her for that, now that she have showed courage and backbone to fight what is right, sheet! Diyosa ko na siya.

[moonshine]

if this is true, it's not only gma's loss but also ours...unless probe transfers to some other station (abs??!). di naman siguro mahihirapan humanap ng malilipatan ang probe...kung sabagay, kung pagcor chief ang kalaban at commercials ang pinag-uusapan:(didn't they threaten to pull out their ads at gma) mahirap nga yon.

[whyte]

lets just wait until CheChe comes back. :(

[orlino]

it seems that the news are true. kahit certified kapamilya ako sayang naman ang show na to.

[tsokolat]

yep, sana magisip muna ang gma kung aalisin nga nila (kun totoo man) laking kwalan sa knila ng probe..lalo na si cheche lazaro..tsk tsk.*** mga docu *** ng probe ang pinapanood nmen ng sis ko kc magnda **** tsaka ok ang pagkakadeliver at well research ****..

[cybermyx]

Actually nag usap kami ni JM Cobarrubias regarding this matter.

Eto ang statement ni JM ...

sa mga nababalitaan ninyo tungkol sa probe team at gma-7,
honestly, di ko alam kung anong mangyayari. basta tuloy pa rin kami
sa trabaho. ang bagay na yan ay nasa pagitan na ng mga executive ng
GMA 7 at ng sariling pamunuan namin dito.


:)


Teka ... di ba ang slogan ng GMA News and Public Affairs is ...

SERBISYONG TOTOO

Bakit parang natakot ang GMA nito?

Yun lang!

:)

[mamonnnnn]

this is sad. sayang kung mawawala nga sa ere ang PT. :sad:

[cybermyx]

Probe Productions, Inc. (PPI) has crusaded against corrupt, irresponsible and sensationalist media by producing shows of substance, and good production values as a means to educate the public and to spur positive social change.


http://www.probeprod.com

[orangejuice]

di ba andun na si luchi cruz-valdez sa abs? since gameplan is with abs's studio23. why can't they air the probe team on 23?

aside from that, e di mawawala na rin si bernadet sa wish ko lang?

naku, gma 7, ano ginagawa nyo sa istasyon nyo? ala nang credibility na natitira sa inyo.

sad naman pero that's life.

[color_s_Kaboink]

nothing's final yet i;m very sure gma won't let go of the probe team. :)

[Gng_Tenorio]

nakakalungkot naman...:( i love the probe team..hu hu hu sana wag sila maalis..or sana they will move na lang to some other station pag pinalayas sila.. :(

[Johnston]

magkakilala pala ang mga executive ng GMA 7 at si PAGCOR chief Efraim Genuino... binawalan ng mga taga- PAGCOR ang GMA 7 na huwag i- air ang expose ng The Probe Team kung hindi, magkakalabasan ng baho ang GMA 7 at PAGCOR...

kaya sinabi ng GMA 7 exec na hindi totoo ang expose ng The Probe Team...

:wink:

[whyte]

www.probeteam.com
you can post your comments there.

ano ba yan :?:
sino kaya ang paniniwalaan ng tao PAGCOR o GMA7 kung maglabasan ng baho prior this Probe episode:?:

[mscrookshanks]

If GMA will be too insane to ax an award-reaping, credibility-rich show like the Probe Team, then they really deserve a slot at the mental hospital. This will only show that their Serbisyong Totoo dogma is one big, fat, ugly LIE. In fact, this is the only show that pushes me to regain hope and trust in this thing called Public Service. And now GMA's gonna call it off for fear of losing sponsors? If this is indeed true:

To all the GMA Execs - dig this: Screw politics! and Screw those spineless people pretending to be the defenders of responsible journalism.

[purple_em]

bakit naman sinisira yata ng GMA amg credibility ng mga taga PT

[shox920]

ABS nananalangin na sibakin na ng GMA ang the Probe Team.... GMA's loss, ABS gain

[shox920]

poo tang inna (sori) corrupt naman talaga yung tinamaan ng lintek na chairman na yon eh.....

[tomtom]

narinig ko kanina sa radio, PT will still air on GMA, ewan ko lang kung the reporter is speaking for this week lang.

[esofagus]

napansin ko talaga yung pagka-upset ni bernadette when arnold clavio read the statement for the public regading genuino. at nagulat ako why bernadette reacted that way, after the news nood ako ng probe team and that's where i found out that bernadette is the one who do the research on genuino.

very obvious yung reaction ni bernadette sa saksi, she was not smiling and after na magsabi sila ng saksi she immdiately walk away. a night after hindi na sya ang nag co-anchor.

i was suppose to create a thread about bernadette reactions.

[purple_em]

natural lang na ma-upset yung tao, sukat ba namang palabasing sinungaling

[tomtom]

sino nagsabi ng sinungaling? ang narinig ko lang insufficient yung report.

[purple_em]

WALA! pero pag sinabing insufficient, eh di lalabas na sinungaling yung mga ni report nila..kasi hindi napatunayan eh

[tomtom]

huh?! ang alam ko sa insufficient, sa tagalog ay "hindi sapat" at hindi "kasinungalingan."

[cybermyx]

Basahin nyo ito ...


From the September 29, 2003 issue of the Manila Standard ...


Probing The Probe Team

Last Sept. 16, The Probe Team was supposed to go on the air with an
episode featuring a lifestyle check on Efraim Genuino, recent
Presidential appointee as chairman of the Philippine Amusement and
Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), the government corporation overseeing
the operations of the casinos and lottery across the archipelago.

It didn't go on the air as announced, and the people behind The Probe
Team had to put together at the last minute an entirely different
episode.

The following day, those who stayed up late night (after Bernadette
Sembrano plugged the show at the end of Saksi in which she pinched-
hit for news anchor Vicky Morales) were gravely disappointed,
especially an opinion columnist who immediately charged GMA of
censorship.

Now, GMA is put on the defensive, as the Probe Team, led by Cheche
Lazaro, has elicited sympathetic notes from the more progressive lot
in journalism.

But, was it really censorship? Did GMA act under pressure from a
power group, which has been presumed to be Malacañang? Or was GMA
simply acting like a responsible media entity trying to protect its
integrity and credibility?

The people behind The Probe Team cannot dissociate the program from
the network. Furthermore, since the show is not entirely produced
independently by Probe, the production outfit owned by Lazaro, and
is, in fact, being co-produced with GMA, Probe has agreed to be part
of a system operating under a set of rules and guidelines.

Lazaro, who teaches broadcasting at the University of the
Philippines, should be the first to understand that the management of
any network, whether GMA or NBC in the US, BBC in the UK or NHK in
Japan, has every right to ensure that the content of their newscast
and public affairs shows has undergone thorough check on the veracity
of facts to be presented.

So was The Probe Team a victim of censorship?

GMA Network says `no.' According to the legal counsel of the network,
the network acted with responsibility. The lawyers believe that Probe
lacked the documents to prove its assertion that Genuino violated the
law by not declaring fully in his Statement of Assets and Liabilities
for December 2001, February 2001, and December 2002 ownership of
shares in several corporations. They say that the documents, which
Probe furnished the network, did not show that Genuino retained
ownership of those shares.

If Genuino did not declare some of the corporations he incorporated
years back in his statement of assets and liabilities, the GMA
lawyers said that it might be possible that although he founded these
corporations back then (as the SEC incorporation papers show), he
already divested his shares in the said corporations.

Since the documents obviously did not state whether the companies are
still extant, or had ceased to operate, Probe can't just conclusively
make its own judgment. Depth reporting is like an investigation, a
probe that needs to thread every piece of information before one came
make a conclusion.

If The Probe Team, which basks in the fact that its members have won
awards for their efforts in the past, would like to validate its
claim as an investigative TV reporting team, would it not be for
their own good to probe the check on Genuino deeper? Then, when its
reporters are able to substantiate further their assertions that the
Pagcor chief has indeed violated the law and GMA would still block
what it believes to be a comprehensive and depth reporting on
Genuino's lifestyle, then that's the time Probe should
cry "censorship."


Reference:

http://www.manilastandardonline.com:8080/mnlastd/ContentLoader?page=goodLife03_sept29_2003

[cybermyx]

Eto pa ...


GMA Network says it will
keep ‘Probe Team’ show
Posted:0:59 AM (Manila Time) | Sept. 30, 2003
By Alcuin Papa and Margie Quimpo-Espino
Inquirer News Service

THE "Probe Team" television magazine show goes on at GMA Network.

This was the response of the television and radio giant to reports that rival ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. was interested in the award-winning program.

GMA Network issued the statement after indicating it wanted to ax the show after 16 years over an episode featuring a lifestyle check on Efraim Genuino, chairperson of government casino operator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).

GMA Network president Felipe Gozon said the show could be canceled only when the two parties "have a date to do so."

The Probe Team is a co-production of GMA Network and the group of the program’s producer, Che Che Lazaro. The contract between GMA Network and Lazaro’s group is scheduled to end in January.

"A co-production agreement with two groups is like a partnership," Gozon said. "It is based on mutual trust and confidence. When the standards are different, this will affect the image of the two and it is no longer advisable or desirable to continue."

Lazaro flew out of the country a few hours after GMA Network vice president Marissa Flores met with her at Lazaro's home Friday night.

Flores and GMA Network project unit manager Ricky Escudero asked Lazaro at the meeting when she would air the last episode of the show.

GMA Network corporate communications head Butch Raquel said Monday that nothing had been finalized. "We can't speculate on that (transfer to ABS-CBN) if it's still with us," he said.

Raquel indicated that as of now the situation could go either way. "For all we know," he said, GMA Network’s axing the show "might never happen."

Talk was rife that GMA Network would drop "The Probe Team" because of the controversy that surrounded the cancellation of the episode on Genuino on Sept. 16.

The network management held off the airing of the episode until Lazaro’s group could come up with more documents to support its conclusion that Genuino owned shares in several corporations that he did not declare in his statements of assets and liabilities for February 2001, December 2001 and December 2002.

The day after the management held off the show, The Probe Team went to the University of the Philippines’ College of Mass Communication and aired the controversial episode. Lazaro, whose husband, Delfin, is a cousin of Gozon, cried censorship.

GMA Network aired the show last Tuesday with some changes. "We wanted them to put in more supporting data so their conclusion can stand," Gozon said. "Is that censorship?"

"We have the power to destroy a person's reputation," he said. "We can make the reputation of a person very good or very bad. Before you destroy a reputation, you should have basis. We would rather err in good faith. At least we tried."

"The objective is to have a balanced and responsible delivery of news," Gozon added.

Gozon, a lawyer, said what he wanted was simply for The Probe Team to check on updated documents of the companies linked to Genuino. He noted that many corporations were not efficient in regularly submitting amended articles of incorporation. The data the Lazaro group got were documents dated in the early 1980s.

Over at ABS-CBN Corp., its two top executives gave differing views on whether to get "The Probe Team" if GMA Network would let go of the award-winning show.

"Why not?" ABS-CBN president and chief operating officer Federico Garcia said at a lunch for business journalists Monday. "They started with us."

Garcia said ABS-CBN had asked Lazaro to be its news director.

ABS-CBN chairperson and chief executive officer Eugenio Lopez III sounded more noncommittal, citing his network’s practice of not co-producing shows.

"All our news are internal," Lopez said. "We don't co-produce."

"All our slots are full," he added.

When asked if ABS-CBN would hire the Genuino episode’s producer, Bernadette Sembrano, if she would quit GMA Network, Lopez said it might not be a good idea. "It is demoralizing to always get talents from the outside," he said. "It does not work."

ABS-CBN in the past pirated several talents of GMA Network, such as Luchi Cruz-Valdes, DJ Santa Ana and Karen Davila.

Gozon said the pulling out of Sembrano from anchoring GMA Network’s "Saksi" newscast was due to the attitude she displayed on TV.

When the announcement came that the controversial Genuino episode was going to be aired, the camera panned to Sembrano who was looking very angry and upset. She walked out of the set.

"Sembrano is not with ‘The Probe Team,’ she is with us [GMA Network]," Gozon said. "She should not cross her professional obligation between the two."


http://www.inq7.net/nat/2003/sep/30/text/nat_8-1-p.htm

[Jeffreyw]

If ever Probe Team transfers to another station it would not be ABS-CBN, the possible stations would be according to me are Studio 23, ABC 5, mahal kasi ang ABS-CBN.

[whyte]

wala na ring bakanteng slot sa late night NPA shows dun eh. ano kaya ang aalisin nila :?:
a. pipol
b. special assignmen
c. private i
or baka ilagay ito sa saturday.

[cybermyx]

Mga palabas ng Probe Productions ...

The Probe Team - GMA 7
Art Is Kool - GMA 7
CheChe Lazaro Presents - GMA 7
5 and UP - GMA 7 (previously nasa ABC 5)
Game Plan - Studio 23 (ABS-CBN's UHF TV station)

[gandalf3]

if gma kicks the probe team out of its roster of news and public affairs programs, nako, mawawala na talaga ang amor ko sa gma news.

gma used to be my personal favorite when it comes to news, but some things are happening in its news department that i dont like. probe is my most trusted public affairs program.

oh well, wala akong pakialam kung tanggalin ng gma ang probe. anyway, i believe probe can stand by itself. anywhere it goes, im sure it will reap in high viewership and ratings. credible programs like probe are supported by the viewing public.

[whyte]

cybermyx.....post ko lang uli



GMA Network says it will keep ‘Probe Team’ show
Posted:0:59 AM (Manila Time) | Sept. 30, 2003
By Alcuin Papa and Margie Quimpo-Espino
Inquirer News Service

THE "Probe Team" television magazine show goes on at GMA Network.

This was the response of the television and radio giant to reports that rival ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. was interested in the award-winning program.

GMA Network issued the statement after indicating it wanted to ax the show after 16 years over an episode featuring a lifestyle check on Efraim Genuino, chairperson of government casino operator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).

GMA Network president Felipe Gozon said the show could be canceled only when the two parties "have a date to do so."

The Probe Team is a co-production of GMA Network and the group of the program’s producer, Che Che Lazaro. The contract between GMA Network and Lazaro’s group is scheduled to end in January.

"A co-production agreement with two groups is like a partnership," Gozon said. "It is based on mutual trust and confidence. When the standards are different, this will affect the image of the two and it is no longer advisable or desirable to continue."

Lazaro flew out of the country a few hours after GMA Network vice president Marissa Flores met with her at Lazaro's home Friday night.

Flores and GMA Network project unit manager Ricky Escudero asked Lazaro at the meeting when she would air the last episode of the show.

GMA Network corporate communications head Butch Raquel said Monday that nothing had been finalized. "We can't speculate on that (transfer to ABS-CBN) if it's still with us," he said.

Raquel indicated that as of now the situation could go either way. "For all we know," he said, GMA Network’s axing the show "might never happen."

Talk was rife that GMA Network would drop "The Probe Team" because of the controversy that surrounded the cancellation of the episode on Genuino on Sept. 16.

The network management held off the airing of the episode until Lazaro’s group could come up with more documents to support its conclusion that Genuino owned shares in several corporations that he did not declare in his statements of assets and liabilities for February 2001, December 2001 and December 2002.

The day after the management held off the show, The Probe Team went to the University of the Philippines’ College of Mass Communication and aired the controversial episode. Lazaro, whose husband, Delfin, is a cousin of Gozon, cried censorship.

GMA Network aired the show last Tuesday with some changes. "We wanted them to put in more supporting data so their conclusion can stand," Gozon said. "Is that censorship?"

"We have the power to destroy a person's reputation," he said. "We can make the reputation of a person very good or very bad. Before you destroy a reputation, you should have basis. We would rather err in good faith. At least we tried."

"The objective is to have a balanced and responsible delivery of news," Gozon added.

Gozon, a lawyer, said what he wanted was simply for The Probe Team to check on updated documents of the companies linked to Genuino. He noted that many corporations were not efficient in regularly submitting amended articles of incorporation. The data the Lazaro group got were documents dated in the early 1980s.

Over at ABS-CBN Corp., its two top executives gave differing views on whether to get "The Probe Team" if GMA Network would let go of the award-winning show.

"Why not?" ABS-CBN president and chief operating officer Federico Garcia said at a lunch for business journalists Monday. "They started with us."

Garcia said ABS-CBN had asked Lazaro to be its news director.

ABS-CBN chairperson and chief executive officer Eugenio Lopez III sounded more noncommittal, citing his network’s practice of not co-producing shows.

"All our news are internal," Lopez said. "We don't co-produce."

"All our slots are full," he added.

When asked if ABS-CBN would hire the Genuino episode’s producer, Bernadette Sembrano, if she would quit GMA Network, Lopez said it might not be a good idea. "It is demoralizing to always get talents from the outside," he said. "It does not work."

ABS-CBN in the past pirated several talents of GMA Network, such as Luchi Cruz-Valdes, DJ Santa Ana and Karen Davila.

Gozon said the pulling out of Sembrano from anchoring GMA Network’s "Saksi" newscast was due to the attitude she displayed on TV.

When the announcement came that the controversial Genuino episode was going to be aired, the camera panned to Sembrano who was looking very angry and upset. She walked out of the set.

"Sembrano is not with ‘The Probe Team,’ she is with us [GMA Network]," Gozon said. "She should not cross her professional obligation between the two."

[cybermyx]

ok lang whyte

nagpunta ako sa Probe yesterday

na meet ko si JM Cobarrubias a.k.a. Lonely Pinoy

nanood at nagkuwentuhan kami regarding sa napipintong pagsibak ng Probe sa 7

tinanong ko siya kung ano ang reaction niya

sabi niya no comment na lang and hihintayin na lang nila si Ma'am Cheche na magbigay ng statement regarding this matter.

:)

[whyte]

CYBERMYX .....
read your sa LAFI :)
did you mention the INQ article you posted :?:
so Che Che is still in Boston?

di ba si JM yung gumawa ng Antique episode dati :?: tapos CLP aired the episode with CheChe doing the commenting. *okay* talaga. Ive never known Antique in that angle. just some teeny weeny bit of info lang pala yung alam ko even htough I grew up in a province that borders Antique, Iloilo :hiya:

[orlino]

heard that Ms Sembrano is sending "feelers" (?) to ABC 5. It's possible that she will transfer to another station after that "DEMORALIZING" act of GMA 7 to discredit Probe Productions.

Serbisyong Totoo pa rin ba? nah!

[donggi_boy]

honestly, na-disappoint **** ako sa ginawa ng GMA!!! bakit naman nila tatanggalin probe e di laking nawala sa kanila!!! BAKA PROBE YUNG MAY BALAK UMALIS!!! lets wait and see nalang in the next few months. ang alam ko e sa january pa end ng contract ng probe sa GMA

[gozvit]

Kaya napalabas yung episode one week later, pumayag yung probe to add to the otherwise "kulang" sa hinog na unang episode nila. kaya daw pumayag ang GMA-7. Jessica Soho was even invovled in this. She didn't think tama yung unang ep na ipapalabas sana ng Probe kasi gumawa sila ng conclusions without adequate factual basis.

Eh ang balita ko, Probe suddenly cried foul and started nasty text brigades against GMA7 the same night the ep didn't air! Di muna sila nakipag-usap to find out the real score.

Tapos, yun pala, agree sila na mas maganda nga na mag add ng info to make the show more "complete" and credible. So, napalabas nung next Tuesday.

Wala UTANG NA LOOB and Probe after all the years of partnership with GMA7. To cover up their "inadequacy" (pahiya kasi sila na "kulang-kulang" ang report nila nung una) which they practically admitted kasi dinagdagan nga nila yung episode na napalabas, kunwari na lang inaapi sila ng GMA.

SINO BA ANG NAG BAD MOUTH NG SINO? DI BA ANG PROBE?

[whyte]

its "fair" naman ***** to both parties when you base on the news article above.
only when Cheche is back, we can clearly see whats in store even if GMA "confirmed" IT WONT ax probe.

[donggi_boy]

Originally posted by gozvit
Kaya napalabas yung episode one week later, pumayag yung probe to add to the otherwise "kulang" sa hinog na unang episode nila. kaya daw pumayag ang GMA-7. Jessica Soho was even invovled in this. She didn't think tama yung unang ep na ipapalabas sana ng Probe kasi gumawa sila ng conclusions without adequate factual basis.

Eh ang balita ko, Probe suddenly cried foul and started nasty text brigades against GMA7 the same night the ep didn't air! Di muna sila nakipag-usap to find out the real score.

Tapos, yun pala, agree sila na mas maganda nga na mag add ng info to make the show more "complete" and credible. So, napalabas nung next Tuesday.

Wala UTANG NA LOOB and Probe after all the years of partnership with GMA7. To cover up their "inadequacy" (pahiya kasi sila na "kulang-kulang" ang report nila nung una) which they practically admitted kasi dinagdagan nga nila yung episode na napalabas, kunwari na lang inaapi sila ng GMA.

SINO BA ANG NAG BAD MOUTH NG SINO? DI BA ANG PROBE?



well-established na ang probe even before they went to GMA!!!

[amadeo]

Mahirap tanggapin ang katatotohan kaya pinatatanggal ng chairman ng PAGCOR at ni ate Glo yan.Di nyo ba alam na kasangkot si ate Glo at si Mike Arroyo sa skandalong yan dahil sila ang nagappoint.At kung napanood nyo yung episode noon eh peke ang pangalan ni Genuino dapat Ginogino ang surname niya at saka hindi tama ang ibang dokumento niya.Kaya tama lang ang ginawa ng The Probe Team dyan.Kung ako kay Ms Che-che Lazaro eh dapat nyong ipaglaban ang katatotohanan.Mas may sense ang expose nyo kaysa sa Kris at Joey issue nayan no.Good job Probe Team saludo ako sa inyo!

[fatgrrl_slim]

Wait, I think a lot of people are overreacting about this. Malinaw naman sa mga statements na pinalabas na ang gusto lang ng GMA-7, maging kumpleto ang report ng Probe bago ipalabas yung istorya. Hindi naman nila sinabing "wag ipalabas ang istorya, EVER". The fact that they allowed the airing of the story after Probe revised it to make it more comprehensive and factual is enough proof that GMA-7 is not out to discredit Probe or hide something in favor of Genuino. GMA-7 is just doing their job as responsible broadcasters, IMO.

And it seems, hindi naman nagwawala ang Probe dahil dun (well, except for that behaviour shown by Bernadette Sembrano, pero sariling kilos naman nya yun, hindi ng Probe). Maybe because they know that as responsible broadcasters, they know what they should have done. So I think, until we get the final word from Ms Che-che Lazaro about the fate of Probe in GMA-7, we shouldn't react violently against the network at this time.

Besides, di ba may statement na rin ang GMA-7 na hindi nila aalisin ang Probe Team?

[whyte]

Originally posted by donggi_boy
well-established na ang probe even before they went to GMA!!!

:whatthe:

probe team started with abs-cbn but DID NOT rate well there. only after its transfer sa GMA, it became what it is now. :)

[deviant16]

napanood ko rin naman yung SAKSI episode na yun noh na sinasabi nyong nagwalk out si bernadette sembrano. excuse me lang noh, pero hindi naman sya nagwalk out. if i remember right pagkatapos basahin yung napakahabang derogatory na statement na yun, nakasimangot na nga si bernadette sembrano, pero HINDI SYA NAGWALK OUT! alam ko pagkatapos mamatay nung ilaw, binigay lang nya kay arnold clavio yung papel at nagstep lang ng kaunti pero hindi sya umalis sa platform. Kayo man noh, sabihan ba naman na kulang ang report na pinagtrabahuhan nyo, in your face pa on national television! You know what I think, I THINK GMA 7 COULD HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB NUNG TIME NA YUN. SANA NUNG PINABASA NILA YUNG STATEMENT, HINDI KASAMA SI BERNADETTE SEMBRANO KASI RESPETO NA LANG NAMAN DIBA, REPORT NYA YUN EH. SANA THEY SHOULD HAVE THE DECENCY NAMAN NA GET BERNADETTE SEMBRANO OUT OF THE PICTURE NUNG TIME NA YUN. BUT OF COURSE, ALAM NAMAN NATIN NA WALANG RESPETO AT PRINSIPYO ANG GMA 7. Yun lang naman.

[whyte]

the transcript could have been given to arnold just before the EXIT WORDS

or

HE KNOWS all along na babasahin pero didn't gave Bernadette an idea

or

bernadette didn't expect those words on the statement akala niya mas mild.

[avonlea]

Originally posted by whyte
:whatthe:

probe team started with abs-cbn but DID NOT rate well there. only after its transfer sa GMA, it became what it is now. :)

i thought kaya nawala ang probe sa ABS kasi ayaw na nila ng blocktimer (same reason kung bakit nawala ang EB sa kanila)...

pero hindi ba sa 13 nag-start ang probe?

[whyte]

yan lang ang alam ko. could be wrong.

tama ka ***** sa block timer issue.

www.probeteam.com

[whyte]

any updates :?:

[violetdreams]

:shakehead: :shakehead:

I don't watch GMA so I was not aware of their issue with the Probe Team until I saw this thread and read it in the papers. Well, is this what GMA's "Serbisyong Totoo" is all about? Apparently, it was all just a facade.

Di ba, one show that GMA always boast of in its achievements is the Probe Team, so why is it that all of a sudden they are doubting the report of the said program. I may be an ABS follower but I do believe in the quality of GMA's News and Public Affairs Programs and knowing the credibility of Che-Che Lazaro and her team, I don't think they would show a report on TV if it is that insufficient because it would definitely backfire on them later on. It seems GMA cannot live up to their slogan and of course, they wouldn't admit that it was a censorship even if in truth, it is. Remember that incident with Mickey and that Startalk report, didn't they also prevented Startalk from airing the tape of that pambabastos ni Mickey. So, this thing with Probe is not new to them.

And what they did to Bernadette Sembrano is also foul. I mean, is that how they treat a kapuso? My gosh! Reading that statement infront of the person involved shows their utter lack of respect and how insensitive they are. It's like a slap on the face. To think that they claim to be the kapuso network. Tsk. . .tsk... I can't blame Bernadette if she decides to leave GMA. How can you stay in a station like that who keeps on saying that they offer "Serbisyong Totoo" and calls each other "kapuso" but disrespects another kapuso on cam. :vomit: It was very rude of them and I don't think there's an excuse for it. Where's the heart in that? Pardon to GMA fans, but in this whole issue, GMA really sucked big time! :shakehead: :shakehead:

[cybermyx]

Well, nag usap kami ni JM Cobarrubias sa outing ng Lonely Pinoy.

According to him, nag emergency meeting sila last Saturday.

Continuously pa rin ipapalabas ang Probe Team sa GMA 7 until further notice from the GMA 7 Management.

Ang masama baka di na mag re renew ng contract ang Probe Team sa GMA 7 dahil sa ginawa ng GMA 7 sa kanila regarding sa expose kay Jose Genuino ng PAGCOR.


To whyte: si JM ang gumawa ng Antique episode ng Lonely Pinoy at siya rin yun nag ku kuwento sa CLP.

[whyte]

thanks cybermyx *okay*

nakabalik na ba si cheche lazaro:?: di ba she has the last say on whether they stay or not.

pero di ba si CheChe yung nagkwento sa CLP:?: nagtataka nga ako kasi alam kong may antique report sa probe tapos nang nagkaroon sa CLP, walang scene akong nakitang nakihalo sa cheche sa tao. parang she just retold the story.
*okay* pa rin.
CLP is one of the best, if not the best, local TRAVEL SHOW

[cybermyx]

whyte: hindi sinabi ni JM sa akin kung nakabalik si Ma'am Che Che from U.S. I think she prefers to be silent regarding the issue.

yup, si Ma'am Che Che ang nagkuwento sa CLP. pero ang kumuha ng scenes sa Antique ay si JM.

I enjoyed the outing of Lonely Pinoy together with JM.

:)

[whyte]

1. since "insider" ka dun, any news about bernadette:?:
2. how long can miss cheche be silent :?:
3. yung lonely pinoy, is that a monthly bi-weeky porion ng probe:?:
4. it would sadden me kung mawawala sa GMA ang probe team :(
5. and where will they go kung sakali :?: studio 23:?:

[cybermyx]

whyte,

here is my reply ...

based on our meeting with JM Cobarrubias, sa outing ng Lonely Pinoy dated October 5, 2003 - Sunday at the Laguna.

1. wala pa akong alam about Bernadette as of now pero according to my friend who works at ABS-CBN. they wish na makuha nila si Bernadette.

2. i think Ma'am Cheche prefers to be silent. siguro ayaw niya lang talaga mag comment and besides ayaw niya sigurong pag piyestehan ng mga media people ang nangyari sa Probe Team.

3. Lonely Pinoy is a bi-weekly portion in a month.

4. wala na tayo magagawa regarding that matter.

5. yan ang hindi ko masasabi. walang sinabi sa akin si JM regarding that matter.


:)

[whyte]

:) thanks. cybermyx.

so ABS-CBN is on the nego table or just singing WISH KO LANG with Bernadette:?:
anyway, the Probeteam issue will just "die down" once cheche has made public whatever her company's decision is.

[cybermyx]

No problem whyte

I think ABS-CBN singing Wish Ko Lang! with Bernadette

Let's wait and see na lang.

Hay naku pati sa telebisyon may halong pulitika!

[whyte]

somebody mentioned (ikaw ba yun, cybermyx) in another thread na hindi na nirenew ng GMA ang contract ni Bernadette after that NOW-FAMOUS caught-on-tape :glee: upset episode ng saksi. thats accdg to Angeli Pangilinan na manager ni bernadette.

[timdrake]

pag nangyari yan mababawasan na naman ng magagaling at

magaganda ang kapusod channel tsk tsk...

[whyte]

there will always be room for some more. ;)

[Johnston]

cybermyx told me that when he and JM cobarubbias passed by GMA Kanmuning billboard with the |:heartpump: sign, he teased JM... JM said, wala silang puso! :D

[grimlock]

kung nag-ADD na nga ng more information and facts sa episode, kung bakit in-air na rin siya the following week, eh bakit nag hugas-kamay pa rin ang GMA7 na sinasabing hindi concrete yung report? which led to Bernadette becoming upset in national TV?

i watched that episode and was shocked when Bernadette really looked upset.

i think concrete yung episode kasi based on documents. also, obvious naman na kadikit talaga ni FGMA yung PAGCOR chief.

please, kung lilipat si Bernadette, huwag sa channel 2, mawawalan siya ng credibility. i really don't think you can put the tag credibility to a company attached with PPA.

:snail:

[orlino]

please, kung lilipat si Bernadette, huwag sa channel 2, mawawalan siya ng credibility. i really don't think you can put the tag credibility to a company attached with PPA.

what made you think na mawawalan siya ng credibility?

She walked out sa Saksi because her credibility as a journalist was questioned the moment Arn Arn read the statement from GMA.

Credibility wise, GMA7 censored the whole Probe Episode because their head's personal relationship with the Pagcor chairman is at stake. So much about Serbisyong Totoo.

Maybe we couldn't QUESTION the Probe Team's credibility but we can question GMA7's credibility.

[masterbaker]

taken from http://www.inq7.net/ent/2003/nov/04/ent_2-1.htm

The Probe Team, GMA-7
end 16-year partnership
Posted: 11:16 PM (Manila Time) | Nov. 03, 2003
By Margaux Ortiz
Inquirer News Service with INQ7.net

THE PROBE Team will air its last episode at the end of the month after GMA Network, its mother network for 16 years, decided to end their partnership, citing differences in standards.

The last Probe Team show will air on Nov. 25.


In a letter to Probe Productions president Cheche Lazaro on Sept. 30, GMA-7 president and chief executive officer Felipe Gozon said: "It appeared to us that Probe and GMA-7 no longer shared the same standards in making accusations or conclusions of fact in their public affairs programs."

GMA-7 is a parent company of INQ7.net.

GMA-7 delayed by one week the airing of The Probe Team episode on Sept. 16 which featured a lifestyle check on Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. chair Ephraim Genuino for lack of supporting documents.

Gozon said GMA Network found inadequate The Probe Team's reliance on old Securities and Exchange Commission records to support its accusation that Genuino did not declare some properties in his 2001 and 2002 statements of assets and liabilities (SAL).

After telling Probe the story could air the following week provided it obtained the proper documentary evidence, GMA-7 was besieged with text messages and comments on the night the episode failed to air, Gozon said.

The GMA president said Probe's next moves of screening the episode at the University of the Philippines in Diliman and giving statements to the press prompted the network to respond in its prime-time newscast, Frontpage.

He said that after The Probe Team agreed to qualify its conclusion in the Genuino episode, the network allowed it to air the story the following week.

"Nevertheless, Probe had already accused the network of censoring the episode," Gozon said.

"We would not have made the proposal that enabled the episode to be aired the following week if our intention was to censor it," he said.

Gozon said that in spite of the many years of fruitful partnership with Probe, GMA-7 felt a parting of the ways was best for both organizations as both had their own integrity and images to protect.

When the Inquirer talked to The Probe Team supervising producer Albert Sumaya Jr., he said they had yet to receive a copy of GMA-7's letter.

He said that before Lazaro left for Hong Kong on Thursday, she wrote Gozon asking for confirmation of The Probe Team's "last day."

Sumaya said it seemed the media were told about GMA-7's decision before Probe was.

He added that Lazaro, who returned to Manila Sunday afternoon, had yet to read Gozon's letter.

"We are not bitter but sad about what happened," Sumaya said in a phone interview. "Who would have wanted to end a good show that lasted 16 years?"

Sumaya said they would be preparing for The Probe Team's last episode highlighting its 16 years on television.

Gozon said in his statement that they were not closing the door on Probe Productions and would continue to air its other programs like Art is Kool and Cheche Lazaro Presents.

He also said they were not canceling the Husay Pinoy project, which is being undertaken by Probe for the network.

Gozon said they intend to air past Probe episodes in other countries, when GMA-7 launches its international channel in the coming months.


saan ***** *** pupunta eh sabi ni fmg one tym na never na *** makikipag coproduce ng progrm lalo na kapag news and current affairs program, eh bakit c bernadette natuloy ang paglipat.
feel ko lang lilipat *** sa abc 5 or sa studio 23 *** pde ilagay ng abs management tutal andun naman ang gameplan..
watutink?

[jhowlett]

I doubt lilipat sina anywhere relating to channel 2 (that includes Studio 23) 'coz selfish masyado ang management ng 2 with regards to News and Current Affairs. Kaya nga umalis sa 2 ang Probe team 'coz gustong bilhin ng mga Lopez ang rights ng Probe Productions at ayaw ang partnership.

My guess is Channel 5 'coz magrereformat nga sya due to the new management of Tony Boy.

Paano na sina Love Añover, Kara David, and Bernadette Sembrano na may iba pang shows sa 7?

[whyte]

timing sa ABC5 ang paglipat nito kung ganun.
and they need some programs there.

wala nga si love kanian sa unang hirit.
si bernadette baka sa dos
si kara david under GMA7 siya hindi yata probe.

[wandawoman]

sayang naman isa p naman ito sa mga pinapanood ko sa 7,
informative pa naman ang show na ito, w/ this, kasama rin ba sa mawawala ang ibang shows na connected kay cheche lazaro like art is kool, 5 & up, cheche lazaro presents???

[Ernestina]

baka mawala na talaga. i dont think tatanggap ng blocktimer ang dos na news & current affairs program

[Johnston]

may show ang probe sa 2.. sa studio 23 nga lang..

[whyte]

i think (and really hope) both gma and probe productions can come up with another deal or something for the benefit of both.

[Johnston]

well. who do you think *** lilipat from GMA NPA na binanggit ng mga executives ng ABS-CBN?

[whyte]

most likely si bernadette.

[Johnston]

"mga" :)

[cybermyx]

juicy offer ba?

:)

[Johnston]

well..

[whyte]

well lets see na lang in a few days., weeks or months.

:)

[aajao]

bad move talaga ng syete yan! :mad:

[ambertookme]

how could they afford to let go of this gem?

[whyte]

it wont be as bad as most of us think it would be.
they'll reconsider.

[Johnston]

bernadette sembrano as well as the probe team renewed their contract with GMA 7 for a minum contract. probe team will change its title, thus, reformatting. this means, they will be on GMA 7 for 3-6 months unless they renewed again.

guess who were the GMA news reporters who will be on ABS-CBN 2 early next year.

that's what i've heard.


:)

[hertzie18]

Originally posted by Johnston
bernadette sembrano as well as the probe team renewed their contract with GMA 7 for a minum contract. probe team will change its title, thus, reformatting. this means, they will be on GMA 7 for 3-6 months unless they renewed again.

guess who were the GMA news reporters who will be on ABS-CBN 2 early next year.

that's what i've heard.


:)

please read the article of ms. che-che lazaro in inquirer libre. sinabi mo rin dati sa isang thread na nag-renew ng contract ang Probe Productions sa GMA. now you're saying these things. NOT TRUE!!!!!!

[changeling]

disappointed ako sa nangyari between gma7 and probe...
kaya lang i also doubt that probe will be in a "better" position kung lumipat sila sa 2... mas maraming interests na kelangan protektahan ang 2 so mas hawak nila ang news and current affairs shows nila.

i hope probe finds itself a good home...or they are able to iron out differences with channel 7, tutal ang tagal na rin ng pinagsamahan nila tapos 1 misunderstanding eh babay na

[silent_echo]

sana lumipat sa dos ang probe team!!! yan lang kasi ang pinapanood ko sa late night news and current affairs programs ng siyete... para solid sa dos na...

cheche lazaro presents will still air over gma7, ditto with art is kool, unless lumipat sa ibang channel ang Probe Team, in which case ite-terminate ng gma7 ang Cheche Lazaro Presents...

pag nagkataon, magkakareunion sa dos sina karen davila, luchi cruz-valdes at cheche lazaro...hehehe...hoping lang...

[wannababe]

another desperate move for GMA.

watak na watak na ang station at the end of this year.

hindi na nga sila member sa KBP, nawalan pa sila ng isa sa magandang show during late night.

[Johnston]

guys, huwag kayong magagalit sa akin. i got it from another forum. it so happened na may GMA insider dun from the NPA.. ganun ang sinabi niya..

[wannababe]

nasa website ng GMA ang kanilang official letter about this issue.

[jayscott]

Originally posted by changeling
---------------
disappointed ako sa nangyari between gma7 and probe...
kaya lang i also doubt that probe will be in a "better" position kung lumipat sila sa 2... mas maraming interests na kelangan protektahan ang 2 so mas hawak nila ang news and current affairs shows nila.

i hope probe finds itself a good home...or they are able to iron out differences with channel 7, tutal ang tagal na rin ng pinagsamahan nila tapos 1 misunderstanding eh babay na
-----------------------

thats is why pinaalis sila dati sa ch2
para lahat ng news/public affairs shows nilaSTATION CONTROLLED este STATION PRODUCED

nobody would argue with what you said on ABS-CBN protector of the Lopez empire.

mas lalong babagsak ang PROBE TEAM kung dun sila mapadpad. mahirap din sa ABC-5 kasi COJUANGCO na ang may control, the remianing stations are government stations unless they want to enter RELIGIOUS GROUP affiliated stations.,

GMA7 is where The Probe Team belongs.

[Johnston]

A post from the other threads clearing some issues...

Yes, Bernadette Sembrano renewed her contract with GMA in its minimum agreement that means one season or equivalent to 3-6months thats why if you read the article posted by our dear Jhonston on the other thread which by the way is from inq7.net you can see in the GMA statement done by our corporate communications head Ms. Raquel stated that Ms. Sembrano still has contract with GMA7. GMA has highest respect for its people we respect if they want to move and change workplace as long as they do not have pending contract with us. We are so happy to see people grow in their respective crafts and expertise and it is our pride and honor because they came from GMA- as said WE DONT PIRATE PEOPLE, WE DEVELOP PEOPLE...! kaya wag maniwala sa sabi-sabi ng iilan. ABS-CBN is working very hard to get our assets meaning people from on-cam talents to behind the scene people by the way which includes me. Because i just recieved an offer from them just last week. They are again doing DIRTY UNDERGROUND OPERATIONS to destroy GMA's plans of giving out what's best for the public.

Probe Productions on the other hand also renewed their contract with us again with minimum agreement specifically to their Tuesday late-night news and public affairs Block. The Probe team which aired for 16 Years over GMA will just be reformatted and be given a new title, new set of reporters, new and better concepts because the shows current format is still based from late 80's to early 90's. The plans is still yet to be finalized by GMA and Probe Productions. If you read the article line by line it will tell you the real picture, its just a matter of presenting the news to be more catchy to the public. That's why its misinterpreted.

We are to launch our GMA Philippines International Network to be on broadcast over 120 countries covering 7 continents in the world starting February 2004.
The highlight also will be the ELEKSYON 2004 Election Coverage where absentee voting was enacted as a law.
Negotiations are on going for DTH Companies( like dream broadcasting in the philippines) and major cable tv operators worldwide. GMA-PIN is also set to establish free-tv service in countries where there
is a great number of Filipinos like in the Middle East, US and Europe starting June 2004. We are in the process of expanding our market and Probe Productions and other GMA Blocktimers will be part of it. That's why we are also increasing and developing our talent data bank as you can see so we could assign some of them in the other countries. The question is those talents and employees who will leave GMA will surely be having regrets as increase in their income, compensation and benefits will also be included and for implementation by 2004.

You will also be surprised with our changes in programming techniques and approach. We will be showcasing new trends in broadcasting that will set Television and Radio into a higher level.

Love Anover on the other hand is on-leave kaya wala siya ngayon sa Unang Hirit and other segments niya sa GMA. We will not air Meteor Garden on GMA its another Asian Drama to watch for I just don't know if will it be another F4 series ...../?!? And take note GMA have DELICADEZA because if another F4 series will be aired on GMA atleast Meteor Garden by F4 has concluded. Di gaya ng ginawa sa amin sa Betty La Fea !!!!!!

___________

yan ang sabi niya sa akin. kayo na humusga. :)

[pasok]

"GMA international channel......7 continents in the world starting February 2004"


7 continents? including Antartica?

Wow, napakaworldwide naman pala, i'm sure it's also inter-galaxial reaching the farthest spaces of Pluto.

[EcKo_01]

Originally posted by pasok
"GMA international channel......7 continents in the world starting February 2004"


7 continents? including Antartica?

Wow, napakaworldwide naman pala, i'm sure it's also inter-galaxial reaching the farthest spaces of Pluto.

baka pati alien mapanuod din yun :glee:

[cybermyx]

At least may international ang GMA Kapuso Network!

Ang saya saya awwwwww!!!

[taongbundok]

"you can see in the GMA statement done by our corporate communications head Ms. Raquel stated that Ms. Sembrano still has contract with GMA7."

GMA insider po ba yan? Bakit hindi niya alam na si Ms. Raquel ay MR. Butch Raquel?

nagtatanong lang po...

[chuva10]

may TFC rin **** ang DOS na sila ang unang nakagawa over gma

[Johnston]

taongbundok >> yun na nga din *** iniisip namin. kung credible ba talaga si KAPUSOGMA7!

[violetdreams]

:beam: Johnston, hi there! hmm,seems like this KapusoGMA7 isn't credible nga. Questionable yung statement nya. It contradicts even the article in Inquirer about Probe team. And GMA International will be launch in 7 continents, helloo! Anyways, I think Probe team will go sa station they think will best suit their program.

[Johnston]

violetdreams >> :wave: yup! and her fellow Kapuso are mad at me because i'm questiong her credibility :(

[orlino]

i don't think GMA can afford their so called 7 continents... they don't even have the budget to buy their on SKY PATROL gadgets....

[kaboomerangle]

about the chances of probe team moving to abs-cbn, nabasa ko noon sa inquirer na gusto ni abs-cbn pres. freddie garcia na lumipat sa dos ang probe team, pero ayaw yata ni gabby lopez kasi may policy sila na dapat sarili nilang production ang mga news and current affairs programs nila.

[whyte]

TV host caught between
GMA-7, 'Probe Team' tiff
Posted: 10:32 PM (Manila Time) | Nov. 05, 2003
By Marinel R. Cruz
Inquirer News Service

TELEVISION host Bernadette Sembrano is torn between staying with GMA-7 and leaving with Cheche Lazaro, whose "The Probe Team" is ending its 16-year partnership with the network.

"She is caught in the middle because she is close to Cheche and to the 'Wish Ko Lang' people," her manager, Angeli Pangilinan-Valenciano, of Manila Genesis Entertainment told Inquirer Entertainment on Tuesday.


Angeli denied that she met with ABS-CBN executives to discuss Bernadette's transfer to GMA-7's rival network.

ABS-CBN was earlier reported to be eyeing Bernadette as replacement for Willie Revillame on "Willingly Yours," which aired its final episode last Saturday.

"I did meet with the ABS-CBN bosses," but the meeting was not about Bernadette but about her husband Gary Valenciano's show at the Araneta Coliseum, said Angeli.

"We never mentioned anything about her (Bernadette)," she added.

She said ABS-CBN is one of the major sponsors of "Gary V XXtreme" on Nov. 28 and 29.

An ABS-CBN insider, however, confirmed that the network is indeed trying to get Bernadette.

Bernadette started as a reporter on Lazaro's multi-awarded tele-magazine program six years ago. She started hosting the Saturday afternoon public service program "Wish Ko Lang" on GMA 7 in 2001.

"GMA 7 said it understands her relationship with Cheche, that's why it is willing to let her decide," Angeli said. "But she did sign an option to renew her contract with the network. 'Wish Ko Lang' is doing well for her and for the network."

She said Bernadette is still studying all her options.

"Her heart is also with Cheche's group," said Angeli. "Marissa Flores (GMA 7 vice president for news and public affairs) said the network is open to (Bernadette's leaving) because of her relationship with Cheche."

ABS-CBN vice president for program operations Jake Maderazo said another public service program, "Simpleng Hiling," would replace "Willingly Yours."

"Simpleng Hiling" will be hosted by Karen Davila and will air its maiden telecast this Saturday at 4 p.m.

Reacting to the report that the network is wooing Bernadette, Maderazo said in a statement that ABS-CBN is "proud to have its present crop of multi-awarded professional broadcasters as its kapamilya."

He, however, added that the network "will always keep its doors wide open to those who express interest and are available to join the family."

"The Probe Team" supervising producer Albert Sumaya Jr. would not comment on Bernadette's case, saying "Probe" executives have no knowledge of her activities that do not concern the show.

"We have no stand on this because we don't directly work with Bernadette's manager," said Sumaya. "But as much as possible, we want to keep the team together."

Sumaya said that in the last episode of "The Probe Team," which will be aired on Nov. 28, the show would show highlights of its 16 years on TV.

Angeli said Willie tried to contact her three weeks ago, "but I never returned his call."

According to a source close to Willie, the latter sent flowers to Bernadette the day after "Wish Ko Lang" won the best public service show in the Star Awards for TV last month.

Willie won the award for best public service show host.

GMA 7 had suspended Bernadette after she walked out at the end of the late-evening newscast "Saksi," after her co-anchor, Arnold Clavio, read a statement from GMA 7 that said the network still considered her controversial report for "The Probe Team" on the lifestyle check of Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) chairman Ephraim Genuino still lacked documentary evidence.

This triggered talk that Bernadette wanted to leave the network.

[PEXchubMALE]

ALAM MO BERNADETTE UMALIS KANA DIYAN SA BULOK NA NEWS DEPT. NAYAN NG 7 NAKU MGA BAYARAN YAN NO! SI ARNOLD CLAVIO NGA NABUNTIS SI SARAH BALABAGAN E! BAKIT DI ALISIN YAN SI MIKE ENRIQUEZ NA TALAGANG NAG NEWS BLOCKOUT SA EDSA 3 PARA LANG MABENTA ANG EDSA 2 VCD'S NA PROJECT NIYA NO! KAHIT EDSA 3 NA ANG USO MAY COMMERCIAL PRIN SILA NG EDSA 2 HAHAHAHAHA ILONG ILONG ILONG BAYARAN KA MIKE ENRIQUEZ! MAGSAMA KAYO NI ARN-ARN SA KANGKUNGAN SI JESSICA SOHO NALANG ANG NATITIIRANG RESPETADONG BRODKASTER DIYAN SA 7! MEL TIANGCO MAGKANO BA?

[Johnston]

according to JM Cobbarubias (tama ba spelling?) their last episode would be on November 25, 2003 over GMA 7.

[whyte]

di ba nasabi na yun sa letter ni gozon:?:

[OliverWood21]

Honestly, I think Che Che Lazaro is the BEST Journalist in Philippine TV. Napakalaking kawalang yan sa GMA pag binitawan sya..

She is way much bigger than Mel Tiangco, Jessica Soho, Korina Sanchez and Tina Monson Palma..

Legend na itong aleng ito e.. ;)

[whyte]

Dean of Philippine Journalism :vale:

[Johnston]

whyte >> yup. sinabi ko lang kasi si JM, one of the hosts ang nagsabi niyan. para maliwanagan lang *** ibang people.

[mokujin]

Balita ko na tatanggalin na sa GMA ang The Probe Team sa Nov. 25 as a final episode, sabi ng Inquirer at ito'y confirmed. Si Bernadette Sembrano ang nagsimuno ng expose ng asset & liabilities ni Efrahim genuinio ng PAGCOR. Sa ngayon, nagdadalawang-isip na siya kung stay muna siya sa siyete o kaya lipat sa dos.

[dzfe16]

it's so sad. 'though i admit na 'di ako nakakapanood regularly at 'di ko napanood ang genuinio episode. from what i've seen so far of probe, IMPRESSED NA IMPRESSED AKO. halatang pinag-iisipan munang mabuti ang mga issues. 'di ba 'yung genuinio (right spelling?) ang kumpare daw ni unang ginoo? i read it sa abante column ni ping lacson. marami pa raw na kumpare ni jose pidal, este first gentleman, ang napunta sa matataas na posisyon sa gobyerno, sabi ni ping lacson,ha. totoo ba ito?

[bluechips]

ganun? that's bad...dapat ma-resolve nila ang kanilang differences....

[hertzie18]

try ninyo access yung website ng probe, www.probeteam.com, nagpa-pop up yung statement ni miss cheche lazaro and yung letter niya kay Felipe Gozon. nakaka-sad :(

share ninyo what you think.

[hertzie18]

you can read ms. cheche lazaro's official statement sa website ng the probe team www.probeteam.com

nandun din yung letter niya kay mr. gozon na hindi na-print ng buo sa mga dyaryo.

after reading it, may credibility pa ba ang 7?

and PEXchubMALE, sensya na pero rinig ko di rin daw matino yang si Jessica Soho. inggitera at mahilig mang bad mouth. ang tawag nga daw dyan sa grupo niya e mga anak ng diyos dahil sobrang favored. para yatang siya ang korina sanchez ng 7. dahil mala prima donna at mahilig sumipsip :(

[smarty]

thanks for the link, hertzie18... its very revealing.... lets just post it here para mas maraming makabasa... hope i wont get in trouble in doing so though... :D

anyway, :handsdown: to che-che lazaro & the probe team...

[smarty]

I have avoided further statements to media on the censorship of “The ProbeTeam” episode on the undeclared assets of PAGCOR Chairman Efraim Genuino.

It was my hope that the furor created by this one incident in 15 years of partnership would be allowed to die down and that the scheduled parting of ways would be cordial.

Unfortunately, the November 3 press statement of GMA Channel 7 makes its case at the expense of the reputation of “The Probe Team.” GMA Channel 7 has therefore left me with no choice but to put on record the events that transpired so that our advertisers and the public may know.

October 23, I sent a letter to Atty. Gozon.

In that letter, which follows below, my intention was to let Atty. Gozon know about a series of developments, visible from our side of the fence, which formed the basis for our conclusion that it was censorship.

Among those developments were three calls made by Atty. Junjun Tupas, a member of the law firm of Atty. Gozon, to the Probe staff lobbying on behalf of PAGCOR Chairman Genuino.

Still, I wanted to let Atty. Gozon know that those developments did not make me lose my respect for him as a person and as the head of GMA 7. None of our actions was meant to be a personal affront to him at any time.

I therefore ended my October 23 letter in a conciliatory tone. But Atty. Gozon’s response since then, including his November 3 letter, have given me cause to regret my silence.

Atty. Gozon has been harping- in his statements to the press, in the GMA-7 newsletter- on “The Probe Team’s” unprofessionalism.

We maintain that we had the documents he wanted from the very start, and that the final version aired on September 23 did not need to turn to additional documents.

The journalistic standards of “The Probe Team” have never been compromised nor have they ever been second, then or now, to GMA-7’s own.

Atty. Gozon says he is terminating the airing of “The Probe Team” on November 25 even though our contract runs to the end of January 2004. Again unilaterally, he has also decided that GMA 7 will continue to air “The Probe Team” in its international channel.

We say that we are ending the long run of “The Probe Team” on GMA-7 with the knowledge that we served the public good without sacrificing our integrity for 16 years.



Letter to Atty. Felipe L. Gozon



October 23, 2003

Atty. Felipe L. Gozon
Chairman, President & CEO
GMA Network Inc.,
GMA Network Center
EDSA Corner Timog Avenue
Diliman, Quezon City 1103

Dear Atty. Gozon:

This is further to my letter dated October 9th, 2003 addressing your suggestion that we mutually end the partnership with TPT on November 25, 2003.

I had hoped that upon my return from a two week visit with my daughter I would be able to avoid having to delve once more on the issues surrounding the non-airing, or in our view censorship, of the TPT episode on PAGCOR Chairman Genuino. Unfortunately, PAGCOR and even GMA Network Inc. have continued to portray The Probe Team as unprofessional. Never in my many years of being involved in television have I ever been accused of acting “unprofessional”. Never in the history of The Probe Team have we been accused of airing a story for the purpose of undermining the character of a personality. It would have been a very simple matter for Chairman Genuino or one of his many assistants to have agreed to an interview where he could have aired his side. Yet even up to today, there has been no categorical denial from Chairman Genuino himself as to the ownership of those companies our story identified as his, per SEC records.

While the story on Chairman Genuino was being prepared, there were numerous incidents where his office and his person were trying to stop the story from being aired. Chairman Genuino’s office even tried to reach my husband. They were using all available connections. At the same time, officers of GMA Network Inc. showed extraordinary interest in the story, something we have not experienced as related to a government personality in all our history of working with GMA Network Inc. It was not difficult to imagine that in the efforts of Chairman Genuino to kill the story, he and his assistants would also be calling on the executives of the station to air his objection to the story. GMA marketing through Mr. Afin Bautista lobbied on behalf of Mr. Genuino. Mr. Bautista also told me that a Mr. Dodie King wanted to talk to me about the PAGCOR story. There was even a call from a lawyer who identified himself as Junjun Tupas. He said he was from your Law office and was calling as a friend of PAGCOR. The combination of the multi-pronged pressure led us to believe that the action of GMA Network Inc. not to air the episode was its way of giving in to the pressure of Mr. Genuino.

It appears that Chairman Genuino had better access to GMA Network Inc. decisions on this matter than we had. In the early evening of the day when the episode was originally supposed to air, we were told by people inside PAGCOR that Dodie King had already announced to his staff not to tape record the airing of The Probe Team that night as the episode on his boss would not be aired. That was many hours before the staff of The Probe Team was informed of the decision of the station to air a rerun. In fact, our staff was working double time during those last few hours hoping we could provide the answers to the questions being raised by GMA 7. We even had our own producers shooting footage as late as ten p.m.

Similarly, Chairman Genuino had announced to his staff that TPT would be cancelled and Bernadette Sembrano removed from the news many hours before GMA 7, through Ms. Marissa Flores and Ms. Rikki Escudero, had told me of that decision at my residence.

What further supports our view that it was not the documentation of the story that caused the station to replace it with a rerun is the subsequent airing of the episode the next week. The original episode was aired in UP through the invitation and initiative of the UP faculty and students of the College of Mass Communications. We had nothing to do with this invitation. In fact it was a matter we had to debate internally because we knew that GMA 7 would find the airing of that episode as an act of defiance. We eventually agreed to air it because we felt we had to have on record what the original episode contained. If you have your staff compare the documentation of that original episode with the version allowed to air the following week, the documentation remains the same. There was no new document added, a point we made repeatedly during our back and forth discussions with our counterparts in News and PA. The episode aired is substantively the same.

We have also been scored for accusing GMA “immediately” in public. For the record, the first public statement on the issue after the September 16 “non-airing” was made on the September 17 “Frontpage” newscast. We did not solicit coverage from the press. They called us as well as GMA for comment when the “non-airing” of the episode had become too obvious to the public. That story first appeared on September 18 in the PDI.

When Probe Productions Inc. and GMA 7 were discussing the transfer of the marketing from PPI to GMA 7 in exchange for a fixed monthly fee, one of our main concerns which we mentioned to Mr. Meckoy Quiogue was journalistic independence. We asked Meckoy whether the start of GMA 7 having a financial commitment to PPI will mean that GMA 7 will exercise control over the stories going to be aired by The Probe Team. Meckoy assured us that GMA 7 will only “SUGGEST” and he added that the station respects our editorial prerogative, a point which I appreciated.

Following that commitment, we worked well with the News and Public Affairs staff on all our stories. One particular instance I recall is a story we did on the F4 craze. When informed that the station was concerned about the effect our story would have on the fierce competition with a rival station, we willingly acceded to their suggestions understanding their concern. We appreciated GMA’s giving us heads up on the matter.

In our contract with GMA 7, we agreed to keep GMA 7 free and harmless, including attorney’s fees of the station, in case any of our stories should provoke a lawsuit. My advisers told me at that time that this was a very serious undertaking especially for a small company such as ours. They told me that we would have to reckon not only with legitimate suits but also with nuisance suits. I was told that the phraseology of the hold harmless clause did not even require that we lose the suit, our company would be immediately liable for legal expenses of GMA 7 just to prepare and pursue its defense. Nevertheless, I swallowed hard and accepted this provision because I wanted to remove as many reasons as possible for GMA 7 to have to intrude in our journalistic independence.

I thought I would raise these two historical points to highlight that our reaction to the decision of GMA 7 not to air the episode is consistent with who we are and what we have stood for all these years.

With reference to your proposal to preterminate the contract to November 25, 2003, allow me to make a counter proposal. I propose that GMA 7 waive all its international airing rights to any TPT episodes. If GMA does not want to be associated with The Probe Team anymore, for consistency, it would follow that GMA also no longer wants to use its international airing rights.

If we have an agreement consistent with the paragraph above, the end of the show will be a month away. I have not decided whether to end the show after sixteen years or to continue at another station. Although there have been feelers received, I have not met with anyone to negotiate any agreement. For now, I only wish to put on record the events as seen from our side, on the issue.

In retrospect, there are many things I could have done to prevent this entire incident from ballooning to this proportion. I realize how our cries of “censorship” hurt GMA 7 and yourself. I also feel that by our having accepted the UP invitation and giving interviews to print media, we brought the issue outside the confines of the station. Christian teaching identifies the greatest sin as that of PRIDE. And of this I and my staff in TPT are guilty. Knowing full well that we are parting ways, I do not want to leave without apologizing to you if I have caused you personal hurt on this issue. I truly regret that it has come to this point but trust that you will understand how the circumstances surrounding this incident led us to react the way we did.

Sincerely yours,
Cheche Lazaro

[Johnston]

hertzie18 >> saan po dun nakalagay *** statement niya?

[smarty]

nasa kabilang thread na, Johnston.... na-i-post ko na.... dun ka na lang magbasa...

[smarty]

here's the other thread.
The Probe Team: Goodbye na daw sa Nov. 25??? (http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=150416)

[Johnston]

thanks po

[XetraDAX]

ANO BA YAN?!? ang ganda ganda ng show eh.... ano ba counter-part nito sa ABS-CBN??

[Shinobi_Ninja]

Pipol ni Ces Drilon

[pollywog]

Behold! The "SERBISYONG TOTOO" of GMA!

Dc.

[ryanthegreat]

the tag line ito ang SERBISYONG TOTOO must now have question marks on its end...

[whyte]

SEEN ON TV
Probing the 'Probe Team'
Posted: 2:38 AM (Manila Time) | Nov. 30, 2003
By Cora Llamas
Inquirer News Service

"IT was the end of an era."

The words were heard again and again at the Probe Team's farewell party after the weekly magazine show chose to end its contract with GMA Network (a parent company of INQ7.net) over a controversial episode on Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation chairman Ephraim Genuino in September. The network had postponed airing the episode until more documents were gathered, and chafed at charges of censorship that it felt were encouraged by the Team.


And yet at the Discovery Suites celebration, there was little recrimination, only revelry and remembrance.

But then again, this particular program had always held its head high. It crafted groundbreaking stories that asked the hard questions even from seemingly untouchable VIPs without stooping to brash tactics or sensationalism. An array of awards from the most prestigious institutions testifies to its professionalism and elevated ethical standards. Its alumna now command enviable posts in local and international news bureaus, proof of the rigorous training that they undergo in the show. More important, its stories stirred minds and touched lives, enough for a once complacent audience to get involved in issues ranging from government corruption and environmental despoliation, to street children.

As Probe founder Maria Ressa puts it, "(The show) taught me that you can be idealistic and still accomplish (the work). You get the right people together, you CAN change the system."

And who are the right people? Is there a template that determines the right match between individual talent and communal mission? It could be happenstance, serendipity, luck or fate, but seven Probe Team staffers recall how they got together and what it has meant to be part of the team.

LUCHI CRUZ-VALDES
Vice President, News Operations, ABS-CBN 2
One of "The Probe Team's original founders, 1987-1999

Watching respected TV newscaster Jose Mari Velez as a child sealed Luchi Cruz-Valdes' lifelong calling. Wanting to be part of "history in the making," Luchi finished Broadcast Communications at the University of the Philippines where one of her professors happened to be Cheche Lazaro. Years later, the two would apprentice together under the US network ABC News that, at that time, was setting up shop in Manila to cover the Marcos snap elections in 1986.

The two Edsa 1 veterans later joined the newly reopened ABS-CBN and covered (then president) Cory Aquino's working visit in the US.

It was about this time that they met Maria (Ressa), a Fulbright scholar who had broadcast experience in the US, and was returning to find her roots in the Philippines.

"We (three) hit it off. The television industry wasn't ratings-driven then and that was good for us. Our driving force was to make visual such stories as debt restructuring. We did stories on the economy and made them sexy. We started slow. At one time, our ratings were 0.6. That's not even one person for every 100! But eventually, we gained viewers.

"We were uncompromising when it came to production quality. One great no-no in Probe is showing footage without natural sounds. If it's a shot of a farmer tilling the land, you can hear the (actual) sounds. (It was a way) to bring the viewer to that place. For the longest time then, (the standard of shows was to) use canned music, with no audio.

"Sure, we had disagreements, but we aired our grievances straight. The Monday after the show, we'd do post-mortems and the debate would rage. But outside of work, there was real friendship; we were kind to one another," says this mother of three.

"Probe is the best part of my professional life and I'm hoping that I can recapture that level of fulfillment for 20 more years where I am now."

MARIA RESSA
CNN Jakarta Bureau Chief
One of the Probe Team's original founders, 1987-1995

Definitely an overachiever, Maria Ressa has a double major in Molecular Biology and Theater and Drama from Princeton University. Veering off towards a media career, she rose from being a production assistant for "60 Minutes" to producer for Diane Sawyer.

Going back to the country right after martial law provided new directions. "(The early years after martial law) were an amazing time. It was chaotic, but nobody was really trying to untangle the news and analyze it. Everybody was so happy with the freedom, but without purpose, it was meaningless. If you don't know why things are the way they are, how can you work to try and change it?

"This was what Probe was saying: this is the issue, and this is how it affects our lives, and this is how (things) can still happen.

"Our combination was unique. Luchi understood the Philippines and Filipino politicians and wanted to change (the system). I'm very American but Probe taught me to be Pinoy and the very best of what being Filipino meant. Cheche is personal; she sees a street kid and she'll send that child to school. (They both) showed me the depth and complexity that I couldn't have understood from outside. What I gave them was gloss, production value and the willingness to question their perspective.

"I used to say that we had a strain of megalomania. (The show is made up of) people who don't want to give up. They work real hard because they believe it makes a difference."

BOOMA CRUZ
Contributing Editor, Newsbreak
Media Consultant/Senior Producer, "The Probe Team,'' 2002-2003

"She is the one person who knows everything about me," Cheche Lazaro once said of Booma Cruz, a UP Business Economics graduate who proudly admits to being nosy, "which is what a reporter should be."

This intrepid writer-editor has worked for the Manila Chronicle, the Manila Times until it closed down because of pressures from the Estrada administration, and the feisty tabloid Pinoy Times, whose daring exposes on Estrada's mistresses helped boot out the former actor from public office. But having done its work, Pinoy Times was about to fold and Cruz went to Probe looking for work for her staff. She got hooked instead, and attributes that to the show's frontliner, Cheche Lazaro.

"She is a good leader because she leads by example. When I did a story on child miners in Masbate, she was sick (and asked to be shot at the) entrance of the mining site. But after we've set up, I was told that she had gone down to the mines. You'd feel really bad if you don't work as hard.

"In doing the Pagcor story, I had a gut feel that we were going to have problems. But had the Team compromised, it would have presented a dilemma for me. I could not go back on my word and say that (the story) did not happen, at the same time, I would have understood that Cheche was looking out for the welfare of the entire team. But given (Probe's stand during the crisis) I feel hope in media. There are times when I tell myself that (all this) is just work. Now, I have living proof (of people) fighting for what they believe in.

ELIZA ZAMORA
Senior Producer, "The Probe Team'', 2000-2003

She has kept strange company-from communist rebels to a Macao gambling lord to an ex-terrorist- and produced stories about them. Her other stories focused on exploited whales, corrupt officials, and abused children.

Eliza Zamora's ability to build rapport with the most dangerous people and the most vulnerable of subjects makes her a perfect addition to the Probe Team. And so do her diverse experiences as a weather girl, a talent coordinator, a floor director, a police reporter, a Senate reporter and a financial news writer. For Probe, Eliza produced the bulk of the show's Mindanao war coverage.

Her main reason for joining Probe and abandoning jobs that paid six times as much? "I wanted to train under Cheche," she says. And what training she got! "Right now, I can edit, write, do the musical scoring, research, etc., basically the work of six people in a TV show."

She came in with no illusions. "From the start, we were told not to go into Probe if we wanted to be rich, famous, or become a star," she recalls. "But once you get over the money hurdle, it's fine. Not many people know this, but the Probe Team actually eat at carinderias!

It was never a question of money, she adds. "Once when we were doing a story in Macao, we were handed dollars for shopping and gambling money in an envelope. I don't know what the other press people did, but Cheche immediately said to return it."

What mattered was making a difference. "I did a story on this kid in Bacolod who was raped by a pedophile. He and the other kids were made to pose for videos. At first, they didn't want to push through with the legal case because they felt it was hopeless. If you hear that from a 14-year-old, it breaks your heart. After the Probe story, the kids felt encouraged. One pedophile was imprisoned."

BERNADETTE SEMBRANO
The GMA News Network
"The Probe Team'' reporter, 2000-2003

For all the glamor associated with TV appearances, Bernadette Sembrano has one constant piece of advice to students who interview her about her profession: "Don't become a journalist if you're just in it for personal gain."

Media, she has learned, is not about making big bucks, strange words coming from this Business Administration graduate and "Wish Ko Lang" host and fairy godmother. Sembrano was suspended from her GMA newscasting job shortly after she walked off a newscast when it was announced that the Probe Pagcor segment-which she worked on-was not airing that night. She looks back at the controversy philosophically.
mali naman itong NEWS na 'to. that famous BERNADETTE walk out happened on the night the supposed episode was TO AIR, the postponement was the week before.

I shouldn't have reacted that way during the newscast. It was wrong and inappropriate. It was the wrong venue to do it, but I support the story and the documentation. I'm still with GMA. I've stopped asking myself where I'm happy. I'm asking God what He wants from me.

"Everything happens for a reason. Something like this builds your character. Now I realize that there are consequences if you do a story like this. With that in mind, I want to be a better journalist and pursue the things that Probe was fighting for."

ROBERT ALEJANDRO
Freelance graphic artist
"The Probe Team'' reporter, 2000-2003

Aside from being a Clio awardee-the Oscars of the advertising agency-Robert Alejandro is an accomplished artist whose works include the Alabang Town Center facade, Glico's amusement park, the Star Mall, the Filipino Bookstores and several coffee table books. His designs are all over on the gifts and products sold at their family's popular country decor shop, Papemelroti.

He is also an accidental reporter. Unlike everyone else, he never fantasized about being on television and had no illusions about being popular. But somewhere between art and accident, a "Probe Team" reporter was born. Robert was invited to be a correspondent for "The Probe Team's sister show, "Gameplan" and his love for sports and challenges won out.

His initial television appearance-which required him to don a g-string and spend days learning indigenous sports with Northern tribesmen-convinced the Probe staff that he has the natural warmth and sincerity needed to be an effective reporter. And indeed, he has proven himself equal to Probe's expectations: climbing the hills of El Nido to gather birds' nests, documenting the wildlife in Agusan Marsh, joining performance artists in Baguio, becoming a nude subject for a painting session and risking hazing in pursuit of his stories.

"I did the light stories because I'm a light person," he says of his Probe stint. "The people here were very supportive. Once, we did a story about trash in Sikatuna Village. It took like 45 takes before I could get it right and this was under the intense heat of the sun. I wanted to cry and so did the camera man. Love (Añover, my producer) wanted me to memorize (a spiel in Tagalog). But I don't speak it well and I was nervous, and I thought that in her head, Love was probably thinking, 'This is the worst reporter I've ever handled.' Still, everyone kept saying, 'Kaya mo iyan, kaya mo iyan.' (you can do it).

CHECHE LAZARO
Executive Producer
One of the original founders

Fourteen years as The Probe Team's frontrunner and Cheche Lazaro has earned lifetime respect and admiration. And why not? "Untarnished credibility, genuine compassion and daredevil guts" are just some words that people use to describe the qualities that make this teacher at heart nothing short of a broadcasting phenomenon.

Definitely a hands-on producer, she has climbed Mt. Apo, trekked the depths of the Palawan jungle in search of the Tau't Bato tribe and worked as a bus conductor for a full day as part of her stories for Probe. Then there's that question few other broadcasters would dare ask a senator but she did: Was she paid for her dance number during the impeachment trial, Cheche asked Estrada supporter Tessie Aquino Oreta.

But no question is too absurd, irreverent, or intrusive when it comes to ferreting out the truth and making a difference. "Our goal, when we began, was to be a positive contribution to the industry," Cheche recalls. "From the beginning, we wanted to be different, to go deeper. We wanted to be based on case studies on a person's life. If we talk about criminality and injustice, we wanted to see it from a person's point of view. We wanted the feel factor, the personal account of (someone), not just the body count. To impact the audience so they could take action. We wanted people to realize that they could do something if they wanted to do it.

"There is no one star. The star is the story. I (still) want to do a story on the triumph of the Filipinos here. It's a recurring theme. There are heroes whose stories deserve to be told. You have to look for them because these heroes don't call the press."

Well, she should know. Cheche is the granddaughter of General Vicente Lim, the first Filipino West Point graduate who held the Abucay line of defense during World War II and was beheaded by the Japanese for refusing to betray military secrets.

But more than the past, Cheche looks to the future. "There have been several offers, but I have not made a final decision. Television is our life, and whether it is here or elsewhere, it will continue," says the youthful-looking wife of finance consultant Delfin Lazaro and mother of Liza, 33, and Charlie, 24.

[mark_mark]

sayang ang the Probe Team

[CK]

oo nga sayang..ganda pa ****...

wala ba *** balak lumipat sa ibang channel?

[wandawoman]

anong pinalabas ng siete sa dating time slot ng The Probe Team?

[CK]

isang news and current affairs special pinalabas khapon eh...