ABS-CBN workers speak out on sacrifice and survival

Mahigpit na yakap, mga kapamilya!

The story of ABS-CBN has long been told through headlines, shutdowns, corporate disputes, and boardroom clashes. But behind the noise of power struggles within the Lopez family lies a quieter, more personal narrative carried by the workers who chose to stay when the future of the network hung in the balance.

In recent days, that story has begun to surface.

As accusations circulated claiming that only a “select few” benefited from the company’s resources, several employees stepped forward to challenge the narrative. Among them is Hyro Aguinaldo, whose candid social media post offered a glimpse into what he described as the untold reality inside ABS-CBN during its most turbulent years.

For Aguinaldo, the issue is not just about corporate politics. It is about people.

He recalled how the last five years unfolded like a perfect storm: the denial of the network’s franchise in 2020, the onset of a global pandemic, and the rapid transformation of the media landscape. These events forced the company into painful decisions, including retrenchments that affected thousands.

Yet for those who remained, survival came at a cost.

Choosing collective survival over individual gain

According to Aguinaldo, many employees willingly accepted pay cuts quietly and without recognition to ensure that rank-and-file workers could continue receiving their full salaries. It was, in his words, a collective effort to protect one another in a time of uncertainty.

Leadership, he noted, did not stand apart from these sacrifices. Executives also reduced their compensation, with some taking even deeper cuts to help stabilize the organization.

Even those who had already stepped away from active service played a role. Retirees, despite having every right to claim their benefits, chose to defer to them , an act that underscored how deeply personal the crisis had become for many within the company.

In the midst of all this, career growth slowed to a near standstill. Promotions were delayed, opportunities became scarce, and ambitions were put on hold. Still, many chose to remain not because it was easy, but because they believed in what ABS-CBN represents.

“Hindi lang siya masakit. It made me genuinely angry… because that accusation doesn’t just land on management. It lands on all of us who chose to stay, who took less so others wouldn’t have to lose everything,” Aguinaldo wrote.

His sentiments were echoed by others.

Voices from the newsroom and the back office

On Facebook, ABS-CBN employee Darla Sauler expressed gratitude toward the company’s leadership, emphasizing that what happened behind the scenes was far from mismanagement.

“Muntik na pala kaming mawalan ng trabaho. Kaya lubos talaga ang pasasalamat namin sa aming bosses. Walang mismanagement, kundi puro pagsalo ng bugbog at sakit ang ginagawa nila maipaglaban lang kaming lahat, mula sa mga empleyado hanggang sa mga artista at higit sa lahat, ang purpose ng pagsusumikap naming lahat, ang makapagbigay serbisyo sa sambayanan,” she shared.

Veteran employee Eric John Salut, who has spent more than three decades with the company, framed the situation in even more personal terms.

“Siguro nga negosyo lang ang ABS-CBN para sa iyo, pero para sa amin na naglilingkod sa kumpanya (more than 30 years serving the company) at sa 71% ng Lopez family, ISANG PAMILYA KAMI! Pamilyang nagdadamayan at ipinaglalaban,” he wrote, thanking key figures in the organization for standing by its people.

These testimonies paint a picture that contrasts sharply with claims of exclusivity and privilege. Instead, they highlight a culture shaped by shared sacrifice, one that extends beyond employees to retirees and leadership alike.

The company has since clarified that the decline in its pension fund was largely due to legally mandated payouts to nearly 6,000 retrenched workers following the shutdown, providing context to one of the issues raised in the ongoing dispute.

Humanity amidst the corporate crossfire

At the center of the controversy is the conflict within Lopez Inc., where a majority bloc has accused Federico Lopez of pushing for the shutdown and liquidation of ABS-CBN. The board, led by chairperson Mark Lopez and former CEO Gabby Lopez, has firmly opposed the move, rejecting allegations of mismanagement and describing them as targeted attacks.

But beyond legal arguments and corporate maneuvering, the voices of employees shift the focus to something more human.

For them, ABS-CBN is not merely a company but a shared history, one that lives in the newsroom stories that informed the public, the programs that became part of everyday life, and the countless moments that connected Filipinos across generations.