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Enrile denies gov't seized ownership of ABS-CBN from Lopezes during martial law

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/news/06/17/202001617-enrile-abs-cbn-hearning-md.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>Former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile attends via video call the House hearing on the ABS-CBN franchise in Quezon City on June 17, 2020. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — The Philippines&#x27; defense minister during martial law denied on Wednesday that ABS-CBN was &quot;taken&quot; from the Lopezes, saying the broadcast company&#x27;s ownership has always remained with the family even during the dictatorship. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/16/20/how-lopez-family-struggled-to-regain-abs-cbn-under-cory">How Lopez family struggled to regain ABS-CBN under Cory</a></li></ul>&quot;The titles of all of these facilities were never transferred to the government. They remained with the owner, hindi po totoo &#x27;yung sinabi ni Jake Almeda Lopez na inagaw ni President Marcos &#x27;yung ABS-CBN,&quot; former Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile told a congressional inquiry on ABS-CBN&#x27;s franchise on Wednesday. Enrile was referring to former ABS-CBN general manager Augusto &quot;Jake&quot; Almeda Lopez, who said in the same hearing that he, together with other people, &quot;took back&quot; the network from Marcos forces in February 1986. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/06/17/20/abs-cbn-took-back-network-from-marcos-was-not-given-by-cory-govt-former-gm">ABS-CBN &#x27;took back&#x27; network from Marcos, was not &#x27;given&#x27; by Cory govt: former GM</a></li></ul>According to Enrile, sequestering ABS-CBN and other television and radio stations was &quot;part of national policy&quot; to prevent &quot;bloodshed&quot; ahead of the implementation of martial law in September 1972. &quot;[I]t was the agreement of the government to prevent bloodshed in the country... We closed channel 2, the entire facilitates of ABS-CBN... all the radio stations throughout the land in order to control the situation so that there will be no reaction or opposition to the declaration of martial law,&quot; Enrile said.&quot;It was part of national policy to immobilize and control the communication system and the outlet of information in the entire nation,&quot; he added.The Marcos government seized the network in 1972 and passed on control of the network to Marcos crony, Roberto Benedicto, until 1986. Enrile said the government utilized ABS-CBN&#x27;s broadcast assets until 1986 when Marcos was deposed through the people power revolt. &quot;Now, in 1986, to be exact February 26... I, as secretary of national defense and sequestrator of ABS-CBN and all the other television, radio and communication facilities in the country, I issued the order to lift the sequestration of ABS-CBN and that was the last time that I had any contact and involvement with ABS-CBN,&quot; Enrile said. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/14/20/abs-cbns-gabby-lopez-qualified-to-own-manage-ph-media-company-enrile">ABS-CBN&#x27;s Gabby Lopez qualified to own, manage PH media company: Enrile</a></li></ul>The House committees on legislative franchises and good government is currently tackling ABS-CBN&#x27;s bid for a fresh 25-year franchise. ABS-CBN was forced off the air on May 5 on orders of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), citing the expiry of its previous franchise on May 4. Prior to this, the NTC committed to grant the network a provisional authority to operate while Congress deliberates on several bills seeking to give ABS-CBN a new franchise.<div>news.abs-cbn.com is the general news website of ABS-CBN Corp. </div>

"The titles of all of these facilities were never transferred to the government. They remained with the owner...," former Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile told a congressional inquiry on ABS-CBN's franchise on Wednesday.

"The titles of all of these facilities were never transferred to the government. They remained with the owner...," former Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile told a congressional inquiry on ABS-CBN's franchise on Wednesday.