ABS-CBN employees and supporters hold a noise barrage around the ABS-CBN headquarters in Quezon City on July 15, 2020, five days after the House Committee on Legislative Franchise denied the network's franchise application. Gigie Cruz, ABS-CBN News
MANILA—Leaders of ABS-CBN’s employees’ groups on Friday said they don’t see why the company owners should be made responsible for the broadcast network shutting down many of its operations and consequently launching sweeping layoffs.
“Hindi po namin sinisisi ang mga Lopezes kung bakit nagkaganito ngayon ang mga empleyado. Bagkus ang Kongreso at Malacañang po, sila po ang dapat nating sisihin dahil sila po ang nagpasya na ipasara ang ABS-CBN,” said Raul de Asis, president of ABS-CBN Supervisory Employees Union.
“Galit na galit sila sa Lopez. Ayaw nilang aminin na ganu’n.”
De Asis also rejected a lawmaker’s suggestion that the Lopez family should sell the network for the sake of its 11,000 employees.
“Ba’t hindi niyo lang ibigay sa mga Lopez [ang prangkisa]? Alam ng mga Lopezes kung ano ang pangangailangan ng mga taong ito,” he said.
With or without a broadcast franchise, De Asis added: “Sa amin sa union, masyadong personal ang atake sa mga Lopezes. Ang loyalty ng union nasa Lopez po, ano man ang mangyari.”
ABS-CBN Rank and File Employees Union president Jon Villanueva also attested to the kindness of the Lopez family to employees.
“Sa amin pong hanay, wala po kaming masasabing masama sa pamilya Lopez o sa may-ari ng ABS-CBN. Bagkus kami po ay masaya sa ating kompanya kasi ramdam namin ’yung malasakit nila sa manggagawa at ramdam namin ’yung pagiging generous nila,” Villanueva said.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Villanueva said the company provided further support to them.
“Katunayan nga po, nitong pandemic, maski hindi kami humiling pero sila ibinigay nila lahat ’yung pag-aalaga sa amin,” he added.
Before ABS-CBN’s franchise bid was junked by a House of Representatives panel, President Rodrigo Duterte repeatedly threatened to shut down the network over allegations of political partisanship.
Due to the non-renewal of its franchise, the network, which employs 11,000 workers throughout its various subsidiaries, will cease the operations of some of its businesses and lay off workers effective Aug. 31, 2020.
Teleradyo, ABS-CBN franchise non-renewal, ABS-CBN franchise denied, ABS-CBN franchise rejected, ABS-CBN Supervisory Employees Union president Raul de Asis, ABS-CBN Rank and File Employees Union president Jon Villanueva, House Deputy Speaker LRay Villafuerte