Ang muling pagpirma ng kontrata at ang pagkakaroon niya ng loyalty sa ABS-CBN ang isa sa mga ikinuwento ni Martin Nievera nang humarap sa entertainment press para sa M4D o Martin 4 Decades.
Magaganap ang kanyang 40th anniversary concert ngayong Sabado nang gabi, November 19, 2022, sa The Theatre ng Solaire Resort and Casino, Pasay City.
Kahit wala nang franchise at frequencies ang ABS-CBN, hindi nag-atubili si Martin na mag-renew ng kontrata sa Kapamilya Network sa Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, noong November 4 dahil kanyang katapatan sa network na itinuturing niyang pangalawang tahanan.
“Loyalty is a word that’s very hard to use nowadays. For the very first time in history, they signed a contract with an artist on The Strip of Las Vegas. Di ba, bonggang-bongga iyon?
“So we chose a room that was overlooking The Strip and Cory [Vidanes, ABS-CBN COO for Broadcast] and Carlo [Katigbak, ABS-CBN CEO and President] were there to formally invite me back as a Kapamilya.
“So I signed another contract with ABS-CBN and I was very emotional and so were they because I asked them ‘Do we still need a contract? After all we’ve been through together and what we are still continuing to go through together?’
“I don’t need a piece of paper to stay loyal. Hindi na uso yan, e. There was a time, we needed to know, make sure, everything was in writing... “
" So I was honored and touched that they wanted it official.
“You don’t need to write my name on a piece of paper for me to know that I fought for you, I stayed with you.
There are cuts in pay, all of these things that they all did just to try to survive, and now, with a big show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"That’s my loyalty. It’s been there ever since the beginning.”
Para patunayan ang katapatan niya sa ABS-CBN, ibinahagi ni Martin ang kuwento tungkol sa mga nakakatuksong alok na natanggap niya mula sa ibang television networks pero hindi nagbago ang kanyang paninindigan.
“I was the very first artist of ABS-CBN. We were like the first artists there, so when the new ABS-CBN opened, I was there. So it’s very hard for me to see myself anywhere else.
“I have been tempted to go to the other side. Too many other sides but I feel, I told this to the people who work with me, I could be wealthier, I could even be more intriguing because I made such a move. But will I be happy?
“And the answer is always no. Not because the other stations that offered me are not good stations, but because this love and loyalty that really keeps me where I am today.”