Media giant ABS-CBN Corporation has firmly denied any involvement in the escalating leadership dispute within the Lopez family, as tensions surrounding control of the group’s holding firm spill into the courts.
In a statement, members of the company’s board of directors—including chairman Martin Lopez, director Rafael Lopez, and president and CEO Carlo Katigbak—clarified that ABS-CBN “is not a party” to the case involving a rift among members of the Lopez clan.
The board also pushed back against claims tied to the dispute, particularly allegations of “unresolved audit findings” and supposed plans for executive payouts.
“There were no audit findings. There is nothing to resolve,” the statement read, calling such assertions “unfounded” and “baseless.”
It also stressed that no executive payouts have been made or are being planned.
The clarification comes as a legal battle unfolds over leadership at Lopez Inc., the family’s flagship holding firm. The conflict centers on the ouster of Federico “Piki” Lopez as president following his refusal to approve a ₱2 billion capital infusion into ABS-CBN—funding he and his allies opposed due to governance concerns. A faction led by Eugenio Lopez III and Rafael Lopez backed the move, triggering what observers have described as a “boardroom mutiny.”
However, the Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court has since issued a preliminary injunction, effectively freezing the leadership change and reinstating Piki Lopez as the recognized president of Lopez Inc. while the case is being heard.
Amid the corporate turbulence, ABS-CBN’s leadership underscored its focus on stability and public service, particularly after the challenges it faced following the loss of its broadcast franchise in 2020.
“The last thing it needs is for its people to be misrepresented in a dispute it is not involved in,” the board said.
The network added that it remains committed to its mission, even as its parent company grapples with internal divisions.
