ABS-CBN has heard enough of the controversy surrounding the broadcast rights of Manny Pacquiao's upcoming and future boxing matchups.
Pacquiao—highly regarded as the country's prized ring warrior in the international arena—was recently at the center of a messy contractual battle involving the broadcast giants ABS-CBN, Solar Sports and GMA-7.
The controversy started after it was announced by Manny's camp that the charismatic boxer's May 2 fight against British slugger, Ricky Hatton, will be shown by ABS-CBN and not GMA-7 and Solar Sports.
Manny's previous fights were aired by GMA-7 through a blocktime agreement with Solar Sports. The partnership eventually served Manny's television career well as GMA-7 entrusted him with two shows—the network's primetime series Totoy Bato where he stars alongside action superstar Robin Padilla and singer Regine Velasquez, and the weekly show Pinoy Records with amateur basketball's toast, Chris Tiu.
"Pagkatapos ko pong pag-isipang mabuti, nilapitan ko ang ABS-CBN at napagpasyahan ko pong makipag-partner muli sa kanila. Sarili ko itong desisyon. Sa ABS-CBN mapapanood n'yo ang laban ko okay Ricky Hatton at iba ko pang laban," Manny reportedly said in a statement.
TUG-OF-WAR. Immediately after announcing the network shift, Solar Sports and GMA-7 reminded Pacquiao of his contractual obligations while issuing stern legal warnings if proven that violations were being committed.
Caught in a heated crossfire, Manny broke his silence last March 23 during a phone-patch interview held at the Executive Lounge of the GMA Network Center in Quezon City. Determined to finally settle the issue, Manny made known his decision to stay with his former broadcast partners and fired back at ABS-CBN for allegedly disregarding an initial agreement.
"Ang usapan namin ng kabila [ABS-CBN] ay, sabi ko, 'Huwag muna tayo maggawa ng footage or video... Suriin ko muna kontrata ng Solar kung may breach of contract at saka tayo maglabas ng ganyang mga videos. And then ang sabi nila sa akin na, 'Itatago lang namin, hindi namin ipapalabas, gawin mo lang ito para pag sabihin namin sa iyo pag ipalabas namin," explained Pacquiao.
"At yung mga statement na iyon, actually, hindi naman ako ang gumawa nun. Ang gumawa nun yung mga abogado rin ng ABS-CBN. Sila rin nagturo sa 'kin, sila ang may idea nun na gawin ang sasabihin ko."
PRESENTING THE FACTS. ABS-CBN refuted Manny's claim on March 24 through a written statement saying, "We are surprised by Manny Pacquiao's statement that ABS-CBN News broke a supposed embargo."
The Lopez-owned network stated the following details:
On March 14, Manny Pacquiao recorded a statement that he asked be embargoed. That statement has never aired.
On March 17, he recorded another statement saying that he came to ABS-CBN to air his next fights. He later approved that statement for airing, and our newscasts aired it on Wednesday, March 18.
On March 19, in an interview while training, he asked viewers to support him and watch his fight on ABS-CBN.
On March 20, Pacquiao again declared in an ABS-CBN interview that "my decision [is] still the same. Fight mapapanood sa ABS-CBN."
We respond because this charge strikes at our core values as a news organization: honest reporting and respect for our sources. Regardless, we continue to report on Manny Pacquiao's activities and respect his decision to enter into any arrangement with any company regarding his fights.
SUPPORT STILL WITH MANNY. Hoping to finally put the controversy behind, ABS-CBN head boss, Eugenio "Gabby" Lopez III, called for a truce by encouraging the public to just rally behind the celebrated boxer for his upcoming fight against Hatton.
The network executive, however, was firm in defending the Kapamilya Network's position on the entire incident, which contradicts Manny's previous claims at the March 23 presscon.
"Suportahan na lang natin si Manny. He is a very good boxer and after all, he is a Filipino hero. He brings a lot of pride and joy to all of us Filipinos.
"Si Manny ang nag-approach sa atin. Hindi tayo ang nagkuha sa kanya. He approached us. He wanted to move to ABS-CBN for obvious reasons. Ang promotion, ang reach ng ABS ay far better than anything he has seen in GMA in the last year. That is the true reason why he wanted to move. He rescinded his contract. He decided to join us. Nagkagulo. Ang masasabi ko lang, we acted in an ethical manner. We did not violate any restrictions in the embargo. There is no deal on the politics. Now he has decided to go back to GMA, suportahan na lang natin siya and wish him well."