Photo courtesy of The Manila Times |
In an article of Former Cabinet Secretary Rigoberto “Bobi” Tiglao Monday (May 11) on the Manila Times, revealed why the then-President Benigno Aquino III and ABS-CBN big boss Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III were not getting along well during Noynoy's term.
The veteran columnist claimed “Gabby” Lopez had a disagreement with Aquino after the then-President publicly swiped at veteran anchor Noli De Castro and other unnamed reporters for delivering negative news about his administration.
It was during the 25th anniversary of ABS-CBN's top primetime newscast, “TV Patrol,” on July 28, 2012 where Noynoy was invited as a special guest and to give a speech where the verbal attack took place.
Gabby and ABS-CBN’s celebrities were there, expecting Aquino to congratulate and thank them for helping him successfully remove Corona, and to acknowledge them that without them he would not have been president.
However, that instance did not sit well with Gabby Lopez and told ABS-CBN’s news and current affairs division not to hold back in covering scandals of the previous administration.
These biggest scandals of the Aquino administration, such as the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) and 2015 Mamasapano massacre to name some, made a negative mark on Noynoy's credibility as the chief executive of our country.
“[I]n his five-minute speech, Aquino pilloried TV Patrol anchor Noli de Castro and other unnamed reporters for being negative about his administration, scolding them for reporting ‘baseless speculations’ that he likened to street-corner talk by drunkards,” Tiglao said.
“Lopez of course was livid, and in their after-event drinks allegedly told his people:’“Doesn’t he realize he wouldn’t be president if not for us?” Tiglao added.
From then on, ABS-CBN never again invited Aquino to any of its events. The two scions of the country’s most powerful families — who both weathered fortunes’ ups and downs to emerge on top of the heap — would never speak again after that event,” he added.
“The good journalists at ABS-CBN were elated, as some kind of word came down from the “Penthouse,” referring to Gabby’s office at the building’s very top floor: ‘Do your job. We don’t owe anybody anything,’” the former Chief of Staff said.
And so the ABS-CBN’s coverage became just like GMA7’s, to a great extent becane dauntless and unobligated to Aquino.
Noynoy watched almost every evening ABS-CBN’s news coverage, and would apparently became bad tempered over the most insignificant negative news coverage.
Tiglao also mentioned that ABS-CBN’s refusal to give Aquino consistent favorable coverage infuriated the former president that he allegedly ordered the Congress, under the leadership of then-Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., to sit on the network’s franchise renewal bid.
The pissing contest between the two alpha males went on all through out Aquino's Presidential stint.
Cong. Giorgidi Aggabao. a representative of Isabela province, filed a bill for ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal in September of 2014.
That was the only bill filed during Aquino’s term in attempt for ABS-CBN’s franchise to be renewed .
ABS-CBN didn’t bother to get another congressman to file a bill requesting for a franchise after the 2014 application was totally ignored.
“Word had gotten out of course, from Noynoy: Don’t give ABS-CBN a franchise,” Tiglao said.
"And a lot of morons are blaming Duterte for ABS-CBN’s demise. Do they expect Duterte to order Congress to renew this oligarch’s power to control people’s minds?" Tiglao added.
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