"They have experienced the best in politics and power."
"They have experienced the best in politics and power."
With the junking of House Bill 6732 which would have provided the Lopez-owned ABS-CB radio-television network a provisional franchise good until October 31, and the move of House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano to give the network a 25-year franchise instead, the House franchise committee will soon consolidate the 11 House bills filed for the franchise renewal.
This also means that HB 6732, unconstitutional anyway because it was passed on first and second reading on the same day, has become moot and academic.
I hope the legislators have learned their lesson, which is that they should be versed with the provisions of the 1987 Constitution especially as it relates to their job.
So next week, the bill for ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal will be deliberated on by the plenary. The one thing the Lopezes can hope for is that there would no longer be any delay – the network had planned on retrenching workers starting next week.
I think the Lopezes have had it so good. The have all the money in the world, and they have had a holiday in terms of politics and power. The patriarch of the Lopez family, Eugenio Lopez Sr., had the power to make his brother Fernando vice president. With the sugar bloc at its height, Lopez was able to dictate upon legislators what to do and what not to do.
The most scandalous I have seen was the birthday celebration of Don Eugenio, with a champagne fountain flowing. Many people were shocked.
Lopez also used the Manila Chronicle to demonize his political enemies. I recall that with the Lopez-Andres Soriano rivalry over Philippine airlines, there was not a day that Lopez did not demonize the founder and owner of San Miguel. This brought about Soriano’s purchase of The Philippines Herald, of which I became business editor.
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The decision of the President to keep PNP National Capital Region Police Chief Debold Sinas in his post highlights that there are two sets of rules – one for mortals like us, and one for the powerful.
Sinas and his staff are facing criminal charges before the National Bureau of Investigation after Sinas had a birthday celebration during the Enhanced Community Quarantine.
I have commended the President for his quick and draconian response to the COVID-19 threat, but this time I cannot really understand what he is doing.
Remember that vendor in Quezon City who was mauled by the police and then carried into a van?
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I was shocked when I heard Health Secretary Francisco Duque say we are now on the second wave of COVID-19. He said we had flattened the curve.
Does Duque realize what he is saying? He is patting himself on the back and misleading people. This is why health experts and even some Cabinet members are repudiating him.
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There are no less than 50 local officials suspected of anomalies related to the Social Amelioration Program.
I have said it over and over again – corruption will not end so long as there is discretion in government transactions.
