Gabby Lopez asked to recite 'Panatang Makabayan' at ABS-CBN franchise hearing

Amid questions on his allegiance, ABS-CBN chairman emeritus Gabby Lopez III on Monday was asked to recite the first line of "Panatang Makabayan" during the joint panel hearing at the House of Representatives on the broadcast company's franchise issue.

During his interpellation, Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta pressed Lopez on the issue of his citizenship and his allegiance.

Lopez maintained that he was both a Filipino and American citizen, but his actions would show that he had "always favored the Filipino."

In an attempt to finally put an end to the issue of allegiance, Marcoleta asked Lopez, "Pwede ba naming hilingin sa inyo na i-recite ninyo yung unang linya ng Panatang Makabayan?"

When there was a long pause, Marcoleta also asked Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Zarate: "Baka gusto niyo nang matulungan [si Mr. Lopez]."

Lopez was then heard reciting: "Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas," the second sentence in the first line of "Panatang Makabayan".

Marcoleta's side comment, however, did not sit well with Zarate. He asked the secretariat to strike out from the records the former's statements.

Marcoleta protested, saying he was only asking Zarate if he would like help.

"I am not the one under interpellation," Zarate said.

While the exchange was heating up, House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability chair Jonathan Sy-Alvarado suspended the hearing.

Upon the resumption, House Minority Leader Benny Abante told his colleagues who are also lawyers to ask these kinds of questions in court.

"If this is a committee hearing where members of the committees are not even lawyers. We would like to request na yung mga abogado natin sabihin na lang sa korte yang mga yan. I don't think it's proper. Being a layman, this is a committee hearing, not a court," he said.

Marcoleta pointed out for the record that Lopez was coached by his counsel when he recited "Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas."

"Noong tinanong ko ang unang linya ng Panatang Makabayan, ni-coach ng abogado ni Mr. Lopez yung 'Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas.' Yung abogado ang nagbulong sa kanya," he said.

Marcoleta has consistently assailed the citizenship of Lopez, claiming that Lopez's American citizenship when he took the helm of ABS-CBN in 1986 is a violation of the constitutional provision that mass media companies should be 100% Filipino-owned.

But lawyer Mario Bautista, counsel for Lopez, has said that Lopez being a dual citizen did not mean he could not own or manage a mass media company, as per the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

He said the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has the jurisdiction to interpret nationalization of mass media, as well as the DOJ.

"Ni minsan, wala kaming narinig na question o reklamo from the SEC or from the DOJ. Walang nagsasabi sa amin na kapag dual citizen ka, hindi pwede. Ang nakalagay sa Constitution ay dapat Pilipino ka, wala namang nakalagay doon na kailangan Pilipino ka lang," Bautista said. -NB, GMA News