But reassuring long suffering employees proved challenging, to say the least.
Some employees were seen in tears during the closed-door session, according to attendees, as questions over job security resurfaced—an echo of the network’s bruising shutdown in 2020. The latest controversy, this time involving internal family dispute over the sale of a key power asset to billionaire Enrique Razon Jr., has unsettled a workforce that thought the worst was behind it.
Katigbak acknowledged the unusual nature of the crisis.
“We faced Congress, we fixed our bank debts, we solved the problem with TV5,” he said in Tagalog, referring to the challenges faced by the broadcast network over the last five years. “But I didn’t expect that the strongest voice against ABS will come from one branch of the Lopez family.”
According to insiders who were present at the meeting, the remark drew a mix of silence and unease from employees, some of whom said afterward that the conflict felt more personal—and unpredictable—than external regulatory threats.
Management used the forum to push back against media reports questioning the company’s financial health and governance. Executives said claims circulating online were “false and misleading,” particularly allegations that top officials received bonuses while rank-and-file workers faced uncertainty.
Katigbak stressed that no such bonuses were granted. He also clarified that retirement payouts for 68 employees—mostly senior managers—had been deferred, not denied, pending improvement in the company’s financial position. All other retrenched or retired staff, he said, received their benefits in full.
Still, those distinctions did little to calm nerves.
For employees who have endured layoffs, restructuring and a shrinking broadcast footprint, the optics matter as much as the details. The idea that internal divisions among the Lopez heirs could destabilize the company has amplified concerns.
Katigbak sought to reframe the issue as a matter of unity.
“Magkakapamilya tayo,” he said. “We will fight for you always, because the most important stakeholders in ABS are the people we work with and the people we serve.”
He added that the majority of the Lopez family, represented by Gabby and Mark Lopez, remains committed to supporting the company. “Please ignore the noise and believe in who we are and what we do,” he said.
Executives also emphasized that ABS-CBN is “not a failing company”, pointing to ongoing operations across content production, digital platforms and partnerships. The company, they said, regrets being drawn into the controversy but insisted its overall position remains unchanged.
Yet inside the room, the emotional response suggested a deeper issue: trust.
Employees are weighing management’s assurances against a backdrop of repeated crises. The latest dispute—coming from within the owning family—raises questions about long-term stability that no balance sheet can easily address.
For now, Katigbak’s message is clear: stay the course.
Whether that is enough to steady morale will depend less on statements and more on how quickly the Lopez family resolves its differences—and how convincingly management can prove that the company’s future is not at risk.
Senior Reporter
