My
case about ABS-CBN is not about legalities.
The
government’s lawyers can tackle that but it needs public support.
It is not just me but all those who want a more responsible media
should support President Duterte’s bold move not to renew its
franchise. It has been long enough that ABS-CBN had a franchise that
was used for the political and economic interests of the Lopezes. It
was the template of the oligarchic politics to give the masses low
values and encourage ignorance.
ABS-CBN
is a partisan media to serve Lopez’s business interests. Other
oligarchs have followed suit. The Lopez’s ABS-CBN use of media
became the template for other oligarchs against the welfare of
people. Have media, have power - quash institutions and regulatory
bodies if necessary for their benefit.
It
accumulates so much power it destroys democracy and its fundamental
tenet that sovereignty is for the people, by the people and of the
people. It is the cause we must fight for.
Duterte's campaign is to change the structure of our oligarchic society. It will be in vain if the ABS-CBN franchise is renewed and returned to such power.
Duterte's campaign is to change the structure of our oligarchic society. It will be in vain if the ABS-CBN franchise is renewed and returned to such power.
For
all of us that should be the case against ABS-CBN. It is a purveyor
of all that media should not be. If its franchise is renewed the
Duterte’s program of reform will be in vain.
The
case against ABS-CBN is not about press freedom or extending its
franchise. If we get into convoluted discussions about these, we miss
the point. We are dealing with an entity that is inimical to a
well-functioning society. This is the opportunity we should take to
finally get rid of a hindrance to the progress of our country and the
education of our masses.
As
I posted in my FB blog, Alfred McCoy in his book “The Anarchy of
Families” the Lopezes are a rent-seeking family. From his wealth as
a sugar baron the family patriarch Eugenio Lopez established
formidable media assets among them ABS-CBN.
"Using his formidable media assets, he defeated the country's president, Ferdinand Marcos, in a bitter battle over the spoils of power.' But unlike other presidents before him, Marcos was a different kettle of fish. Marcos declared martial law and destroyed Eugenio Lopez.
"Using his formidable media assets, he defeated the country's president, Ferdinand Marcos, in a bitter battle over the spoils of power.' But unlike other presidents before him, Marcos was a different kettle of fish. Marcos declared martial law and destroyed Eugenio Lopez.
More
vividly than any other, the story of Eugenio Lopez illustrates the
close connection between state power and private wealth in the
Philippines. For over thirty years, Lopez had used presidential
patronage to secure subsidized government financing and dominate
state-regulated industries, thereby amassing the largest private
fortune in the Philippines.”
The theory of "rents" can help us explain some significant aspects of this complex relationship between Filipino elites and the Philippine state. As defined by James Buchanan, rents appear when the state uses regulation to restrict "freedom of entry" into the market. If these restrictions create a monopoly, the economic consequences aredecidedly negative-slowing growth and enriching a few favoured entrepreneurs. Competition for such monopolies, a political process called "rent seeking," can produce intense conflict.”
presidency was passed on to her son, Noynoy. We were misled by the rhetoric of the “revolution” and reluctant to admit that we were once again fooled thanks to the power of the Lopez-owned media. We need only review ABN-CBN’s role in Noynoy’s campaign. This may have had the help of foreigners but we deserved it because we fell for this “freedom of the press” accusations they churned. But what could we have done with the power of Lopez media. Not much. It had the franchise and whatever they choose to do with it.
From
Marcos to Aquino, the Lopezes used the same template. It was through
Cory as president that they got back all their assets and power. From
the Marcos-Lopez it became Aquino-Lopez. We had been fooled that the
EDSA people power revolution which made Cory Aquino president would
bring change. Instead with the help of Lopez media her
Whether
we should extend its franchise is what we should focus on - the harm
that ABS-CBN’s media power is capable of doing to our nation
building.
Those
in the inner circle at the height of Lopez power heard its patriarch
say “We can make and unmake” the president of the country. And
they are right when they say it is family. Extend the franchise to
the family and we will be back to square 1.
I
did work with another Lopez-owned media / the defunct Manila
Chronicle as an underpaid reporter. I am not speculating, I knew
first hand that the family used its media power against those that
displeased them. As I have narrated in my book “The Verdict” it
was not Imelda Marcos who pushed us to exile. It was the Lopezes. My
husband, the late Ambassador Alberto Pedrosa was an executive of the
Lopez-owned MERALCO. He was caught in a corporate struggle and
ordered to go abroad. My family and I were crushed by the two warring
sides. By the time martial law was declared we were out of the
country. Ironically the Lopez bullying was what saved us from
imprisonment.
No
matter. When we returned to the Philippines after a long exile, my
daughter Veronica wanted to return home and see what it was like. She
applied on her own to ABS-CBN. After a few months, she was sent to
the CNN headquarters in Atlanta as a visiting broadcaster.
Broadcasting with an international character was then in Ted Turner’s
mind. They saw in Veronica a perfect candidate to recruit her for the
opening of CNN International in Hongkong a Spanish name, a British
background and accent but a Filipina. That’s it. They decided to
hire her.
But
Veronica was reluctant to accept it offhand. She was working with
ABS-CBN and came to Atlanta on their behest. It also paid her fare.
She told them she would go home to formally resign and advise Gabby
Lopez. Of course, he was flummoxed. Are you mad? Lopez said go if you
want and added an insult “I don’t really know how good you are
anyway, but I swear you will never find a job again in the
Philippines.” (She now writes a column every Saturday in "From
a Distance" Philippine STAR).
Veronica
left for CNN Atlanta, then to Hong Kong, the BBC in London and
Al-Jazeera in Kuala Lumpur. CNN Atlanta did pay her fare to leave her
job at ABS-CBN
