Why Salubong Sa Bagong Taon on ABS-CBN?

You may be just like me who can still remember the epic 25.5 hour New Year special to welcome Y2K/Millennium 2000 on Channel 2 which included a dusk-to-dawn New Year variety show boasting of high caliber performances from most ABS-CBN artists.  You may wonder why this New Year variety show was not repeated in New Year 2001/New Millennium/Millennium 2001 thereafter.  You may wonder why the ABS-CBN News anchors and reporters took most of the work to present the New Year countdown year after year (which they did even for New Year 2000).

First off: New Year's Eve and New Year's Day events (year-end gatherings, year-end presentations, incidents occurring before and after due to overindulgence in the celebrations, 1st New Year baby, firecracker injuries, even peace and order situations and emergency alerts) most of the time are news-worthy.  Don't worry: the ABS-CBN News reporters are there.

Second: Christmas break is true for most musicians, singers, dancers, actors, performers and presenters--an opportunity to spend the Christmas season for real off-stage, off-cam, off-mike. This is also true for reporters, but the call of duty for public service and journalism is stronger even during the holidays. We must be so lucky spending Christmas break with our loved ones, while others spend the holidays on duty to serve us on radio and TV.

Third: ABS-CBN marks the New Year in a simple way.  Having a New Year presentation (midnight coverage and broadcast Mass) is better than none at all.  Having a big New Year concert is another story--another drain on the finances with regards to costs of planning, organizing, promoting and executing, including the talent fees.

If you can remember what happened in 1999-2000, there was just little word on Channel 2's Christmas special (which is actually an annual tradition on ABS-CBN).  All eyes were on the network's Millennium 2000 coverage.  You can imagine the stress of mounting 2 specials during the year-end--for both Christmas and New Year.  Well, after Millennium 2000, the network personnel have little to worry about every year-end.

Then again, New Year countdowns on TV are the exciting part of the year-end, especially with the news anchors and reporters in their lightest and best selves :)  That is why this blogger anticipate every Salubong Sa Bagong Taon coverage at year-end; this year won't be different.

Catch #Salubong2018 this New Year's Eve, 12-31-2017, Sunday, 11:30pm, after Gandang Gabi Vice on Channel 2.  That's a Deal; all right?

Salubong sa Bagong Simula: The ABS-CBN 2010 Countdown

For all ABS-CBN viewers, here’s one way to greet 2010.

Not to be left out in welcoming 2010, ABS-CBN will ring in the New Year with the special midnight show “Salubong sa Bagong Simula: The ABS-CBN 2010 Countdown”. Hosted by ABS-CBN personalities led by Bernadette Sembrano and Jorge Cariño, the countdown show will give Filipinofamilies in and out of the Philippines a nationwide Media Noche of sights and sounds (even tastes). Seven nationwide key points will bepart of the nationwide ABS-CBN 2010 countdown: Bulacan, Pampanga, Legazpi City, Cebu, Gensan, Manila and Quezon City.

From the ABS-CBN Studio Top in Quezon City (the city as the country’sentertainment hub and home to various food factories like cakes andbiscuits), expect skies around Mother Ignacia, Sgt. Esguerra and North Avenue to turn colorful with various fireworks–an annual New Yearscene played on the network every New Year’s Eve. Also, the Pinoy Big Brother House within the ABS-CBN grounds has prepared a Media Noche of sorts for the housemates.

Manila, the country’s national capital, where sorbetes and iced desserts are abound, is covered as it will have a barrage of parties, from the sidestreet raves of various bars in Malate and the gatherings in Recto to midnight family get-togethers in Luneta and Intramuros and the much-awaited fireworks show at the colorful Roxas Boulevard-Baywalk area and Sta. Ana church.

Bulacan, best known for its pastries like taisan, ensaymada and biscocho, and for being the country’s Fireworks Capital, will have aflashy and sumptuous welcome to 2010. Local performers along with Kapamilyas from Mega Manila and North Central Luzon will blend in with the Bulakeños hoping for fewer fireworks casualties and more midnightsky paintings courtesy of the pyrotechnics.

Pampanga, the Culinary Center of the Philippines, best known for its meat and fish dishes, will cook something unique for the countdown. The province has seen months of flooding due to this year’s mega-stormsP epeng and Ondoy, a year of a priest-turned-governor struggling in local politics and one incumbent president bent on running as a provincial representative. Greeting a revitalized 2010 with their fellow kabalens are ABS-CBN Pampanga Kapamilyas led by Gracie Rutao.

Legazpi City in Albay will be baking something for the nationwide countdown. Legazpi and other Bicol cities are known for their pili dishes and coconut dishes. Bicolanos–be in the main city or in evacuation sites–among them local acts and ABS-CBN Naga personalities led by Jose Carretero, will welcome 2010 with hope that picture-perfect Mayon Volcano would not explode further.

The Queen City of the South–Cebu–will be counted in the nationwide countdown. The city has been known for its mangoes and mango food dishes, peanut kisses, baked goods like otap and barquillos, dried bananas, and pork dishes like lechon Cebu and chicharon. Moreover, this has a part of history–once upon a time, Cory Aquino (who died August 2009) sought refuge among the religious people in the city following the tumult in the wake of the 1986 snap elections that put her as the country’s 1st woman President. Not withstanding the firecracker incidents, Cebuanos will ring in the new year, along with local talents and ABS-CBN Cebu Kapamilyas led by Rico Lucena.

Not to miss is the revelry from Gensan, the country’s Tuna Capital and a premier city in Mindanao, known to be the country’s Fruit Basket (thecity is abound with durian, mangosteen and pineapple) or Food Basket(where produce are usually shipped from here). Most of the journalists who died in the gruesome 11-23-2009 Maguindanao Massacre came from this city. Amidst firecracker casualties and a dark tragedy, Mindanaoans will converge as they will ring in the year 2010 with hope that justice will be served for the victims aside from the journalists who died in the line of duty. Joining the revelry are local stars and ABS-CBN Gensan personalities led by Jay Dayupay.

Not to miss too are celebrations from Baguio (the First Family's New Year spot, and the city of Philippines' temperate fruit products), Bacolod (capital of piaya/sugar pies and other sweets), and Davao (home of the durian dishes and tropical fruit products and the scene quietest New Year celebration in the country).

Aside from various performances in various key cities, the ABS-CBN Christmas theme song “Star ng Pasko”, now a worldwide hit for every Filipino, will be sung by our Kapamilyas in Gensan and Cebu within thecountdown show. Prayers, scenes from New Year masses and messages ofinspiration from various Kapamilyas will fill in the broadcast.

Not to miss are updates on peace and order situations, anti-crime wavesand hospital alerts (for fireworks casualties and the mostexciting–the first Filipino baby of the year 2010), local revelries plus midnight celebrations across the globe especially in New Zealand,the Pacific Islands, Australia, Japan, China and the rest of theAsia-Pacific region.

Have your Media Noche complete with “Salubong sa Bagong Simula: TheABS-CBN 2010 Countdown”, this New Year’s Eve, 12-31-2009, Thursday @11:30pm, only on the network hopeful for new beginnings for everyFilipino, ABS-CBN.

It's A Deal!