Unintended casualty

There is yet another reason why ABS-CBN could not have willfully mistreated the Wowowie audience. Its mismanagement and carelessness may have led to the deaths and wounding of so many but as it is now becoming obvious, there is another unintended casualty – the wounding of the ABS-CBN colossus. Indeed, the broadcasting group projected an image of indestructible power.

Alfred McCoy’s in his book The Anarchy of Families: State and Family in the Philippines writes on this durability of the Lopez family. "Under three empires and five republics, succeeding generations of Lopezes have adapted and prospered – an exceptional performance in the history of any elite, Filipino or foreign. Over a span of five generations, the dominant line of the Lopez family has had the vision to perceive change and the dynamism to seize new opportunities. "

I have personally known at least two – Don Eugenio Lopez and his son Geny Lopez, who could be said to possess the entrepreneurial talents to use political and technological changes to the family’s advantage. I do not know Gabby Lopez III but it is bruited about he would be the rightful heir to these talents in today’s generation. He knows the power of media and how it can be used for politics.

As McCoy says, "Above all, the history of the Lopez family illustrates the symbiosis between the weak Philippine state and the strength of the country’s dominant political families." Through their reliance upon rents, families, like the Lopezes, exploit the state’s financial resources and regulatory powers to push for the growth of their own corporations. Perhaps in time that symbiosis between politics and corporate growth might have no longer been necessary. Their corporations would then grow on their own steam without using political influence. But that future prospect of political independence may have been compromised by the tragic events at ULTRA. There could not have been a worse time for it to have happened – with an administration they are not exactly friendly with, much less bend to their will.

The Macapagal-Lopez enmity goes back to the time of President GMA’s father – the late President Diosdado Macapagal. The Lopezes had financed his rival’s campaign and were poised to control Congress, by putting Fernando as Senate chief. That would then put him in position to make a presidential bid in 1965. The story is well-known that when the Lopez brother could not make it as presidential candidate, Marcos was put in his place as the Lopez candidate. That began the Marcos-Lopez tandem, a relationship that would prosper and ultimately sour with their clashing interests.

So what has the ULTRA tragedy got to do with that history? For one, it has created the condition, the raison d’etre, if you wish which would justify government to break ABS-CBN’s power to make and unmake administrations and politicians. President GMA may not be squeaky clean to justify going after the Lopez empire with hammer and tongs, but after the ULTRA tragedy she now possesses the weapon to make it possible. We may be also witnessing a turning point, a watershed in our history when a media empire that held sway for too long on who or who should not be in power may come to an end. And with it, hopefully so also the rentier politics that has promoted an uneven playing field detrimental to our country’s progress.

One reader of this column says there is only one word, maybe two, to describe the effect of the ULTRA tragedy to the Lopez empire: payback time. Victor N. Arches II <[email protected]> writes, " When a premier TV-radio network harps on morality and righteousness for months-on-end from its high horse, and yet blocks off its prime time for inane, asinine "entertainment" shows which cater to and propagate toilet humor and gutter language, exhibitionism and prurient tastes, rude, uncouth and vulgar behavior presented as "funny," "hysterical" or "cute," overt and brazen harassment of female guests, feeding on and sowing intrigue between and among wannabe starlets, there is something inherently wrong with its management and its priorities as a public utility.

All the more grievous is its dereliction of social responsibility, when it resorts to exploitation of the hopes of the Filipino masa, feeding off their hopelessness and poverty, and cavorting with naked greed and downright commercialism."

That may be true but there is still ‘ Kabayang Noli’ and he can be used as a last card. There is no denying he owes everything that he is, his political power as vice-president, popularity, even some wealth etc. to the Lopezes. So far he has been reluctant to make the break with President GMA but that may not be for long. With the ‘clamor’ from Lopez allies – Cory Aquino and Franklin Drilon, et al – I will not be surprised if he would now succumb to their blandishments. They may resume the courtship more aggressively especially with President GMA’s having her own battles with the Senate and the so-called civil society. Events may move very fast and that is not at all unlikely. ABS-CBN may have been wounded by ULTRA but I daresay it will also be at its most ferocious (you know, like a wounded animal – there’s that unwanted word again) There is just no way to dissociate De Castro from the Lopez family-owned ABS-CBN. De Castro owes the family that much and if he can save them, he will be made to save them.

The question is whether a Noli de Castro presidency, with the support of his former employers and a host of opposition groups against President GMA, will be good for the country. It would be an unfortunate regression. He may be nothing more than a reader of news on the air, without any economic or political savvy to lead us into the 21st century but you can never tell. The Lopez media empire would have been the most effective tool to thrust him to the presidency under the present system given an opportune time until the ULTRA tragedy intervened and in my opinion, changed all that.

As others have said before me, a de Castro presidency will be no better, if not worse than the Estrada presidency. (Erap, it is said was another president the Lopezes could have had in the palm of their hand.) Noliboy caters to the worst instincts of the ignorant masa and is said to owe his popularity precisely because his TV shows whip up that ignorance. He is said to indulge in tales of aswangs and dwendes using his censorious voice to mock Dracula to the delight of his fans.

In a way, the ULTRA tragedy is a god-send. More informed and better educated Filipinos should seize the opportunity to change our political system and gain from such an unexpected development. To be fair, it is not just ABS-CBN which exploits the ignorance of poor Filipinos. So do other stations. Instead of helping them become more politically aware, understand the benefits of good governance and leadership, they are made to believe that their savior is someone who has the common touch. He would understand their problems. Image counts and this is how ABS-CBN projects the idea that they, too, can be elected to any position in the country, even the position of chief executive for knowing nothing except eating with one’s hands. Only a shift to parliamentary system can frustrate such political nonsense.

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My e-mail is [email protected]