Gabby Lopez
KUWESTYUNABLE umano ng katapatan ng mga dual citizen kaya hindi dapat payagan ang mga ito na magmay-ari ng mass media.
Ayon kay AnaKalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor bagamat walang nakasulat sa Konstitusyon na bawal mag-may-ari ng media company ang isang dual citizen ang pinapayagan lamang ay 100 porsyentong Pilipino.
“Consistent with the national interest and largely for national security reasons, the Constitution requires 100-percent Filipino ownership of media. The Charter also bans dual allegiance by any Filipino,” ani Defensor.
“Imagine a Filipino who is also a Chinese citizen and who owns or runs a television station or a newspaper at this time when the Philippines and China are engaged in a tug-of-war over the West Philippine Sea. Which side he would take? Which country’s interest would he protect?” tanong ni Defensor.
Ito umano ang dahilan kung bakit 100 percent Filipino lamang ang pinapayagan.
“For me, wholly-owned means completely, entirely owned by Filipinos. This means that dual citizens cannot be media owners. In fact, if you stretch the interpretation of that provision, the ban would apply to owning even a single share in a media company.”
Kahapon ay humarap sa joint hearing ng House committees on legislative franchise at on good government and public accountability si Eulogio ‘Gabby’ Lopez III kung saan sinabi nito na siya ay isang Filipino at isang Amerikano.
“The issue is, whether he, as a Filipino-American, is allowed to own shares in ABS-CBN, whether his chairmanship and stewardship of the network for many years was consistent with the provision on 100-percent Filipino ownership,” dagdag pa ni Defensor.
Sinabi ni Lopez na handa ito na bitawan ang kanyang American passport kung aabot sa punto na siya ay papipiliin.
Ayon kay Lopez bagamat ipinanganak siya sa Amerika siya ay lumaki sa Pilipinas. Ang mga ama at ina ay Filipino.