IT happened two years ago, but Ira Pablo said she has to break her silence over the reason she was fired from her dream job as PBA courtside reporter because she felt she needed some closure as the episode continued to haunt her.
Pablo, who is the daughter of former PBA star Vic, thought she had finally reached one of her life's objectives when she was hired as courtside reporter in 2022. But her joy turned to grief when, after reporting for some 10 games, she was unceremoniously yanked off her job and was never told why.
It was only later that she concluded that the reason she could not get another gig was because she was, take note of this, overweight.
'Mataba daw ako'
In her Facebook page, Ira said: "Sharing something I wish I had the courage to share 2 years ago — I became a PBA courtside reporter tapos tinanggalan ako ng trabaho kasi 'mataba' daw ako,"
Pablo wrote. "After covering just about 10 PBA games, all of a sudden, wala na akong assigned games."
Pablo said she could not think of any other reason why she was fired as a courtside reporter where her image is on full view on TV, other than her physical appearance which she believed some bigwigs at the company that covers PBA games deemed to be inappropriate for the task at hand.
She was not told this was the reason, but several friends in the network said her weight or plus size was why she was not called again to report.
Officials at TV5 which control most of the personnel in broadcasting the PBA games were not immediately available for comment.
Pablo first reported for the games during the during its 47th season in 2022.
Pablo lamented that what hurts most was that she was fired not because she lacked the skill for the job, but for reasons that had nothing to do with her reporting.
She said she had prepared well for the job, dreaming about it specially after seeing her father play in the PBA, spending his best years in the league with Shell.
"To those who saw me grow up, alam nila na elementary palang ako gusto ko na mag-cover ng PBA. Watching my dad play was my biggest influence. In fact, the only reason I signed up as a collegiate courtside reporter, was to practice and prepare myself for the PBA," she said.
"After 6 years of sports reporting experience, I was finally invited and chosen to report for PBA back in 2022. Sobrang saya ko talaga. It was a childhood dream come true."
No call back?
A few games in, she didn't get a call back, and found out that the network already held auditions for her job.
Pablo told SPIN.ph that some former employees of the network reached out to her after they experienced losing their jobs without 'proper basis' as well.
Some co-workers also revealed the reason behind her sudden exit, Pablo claimed.
"I have no problems with new reporters coming in, pero bakit ako ang nawalan ng trabaho? Hindi ba pwede lahat kami may trabaho? The ones that replaced me were beginners compared to the years of work I put in just to qualify for the position," Pablo said.
She continued: "The head of the network, who is a female, didn’t want a lot of plus-sized girls as reporters for PBA. In short, body type ang naging basehan. After about 10 games, wala na akong trabaho sa PBA. It was a male that got me in PBA, but it was a female that kicked me out. Ang saklap. Hindi ako nainform na requirement pala ang 25-inch waistline para mag cover sa PBA, akala ko sportscasting skills ang kailangan."
Pablo then ended her lengthy post saying she has already made peace with her short-lived dream, but said she owes it to herself to speak her truth.
"Now's the time we fight back. For two years, nanahimik tayo," she added.
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