MANILA, Philippines — “Hindi sinauli sa amin ang ABS-CBN. Kinuha namin, binalik namin sa sarili namin.”
(The ABS-CBN was not returned to us. We took it back ourselves.)
This was the assertion of the media giant’s vice-chairperson, Augusto Almeda Lopez, during a House joint panel hearing on the network’s franchise on Wednesday.
The House panels on legislative franchises and good governance and accountability are discussing whether the recovery of ABS-CBN by the Lopez family was legal.
Almeda said ABS-CBN has been operating since 1953 and was shut down in 1972 when former president Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law.
For 13 years, Almeda said the Marcos regime took control of the station’s operation and that the Lopez family allowed the government of former president Corazon Aquino to use the station’s facilities during the Edsa Revolution.
“Pumayag kami na gamitin ng forces ni Cory Aquino at ni (former Marcos government defense minister Juan) Ponce Enrile na gamitin ang ABS-CBN during the crisis period,” he added.
(We allowed the forces of Cory Aquino and Juan Ponce Enrile to use ABS-CBN during the crisis period.)
“Hindi sinauli sa amin ng Cory government ang istayon, kami ang nagpahiram sa Cory government,” Almeda said.
(The Cory government did not return the station to us, we lent it to the Cory government.)