A veteran journalist challenged Senator Grace Poe to invite known personalities who have an issue with ABS-CBN on the senate hearing they’re planning.
On a Facebook post, Jay Sonza, who’s a former host in one of the shows of ABS-CBN, gave a list of people that Senator Poe should invite if she wanted to know more about the issues being faced by the network.
“Kung talagang serious kang malaman ang mga kabulastugan ng abs-cbn Sen. Grace Poe- Llamanzares, imbitahin mo ang mga sumusunod na resource persons:
1. Mel Tiangco
2. Angelique Lazo
3. Ruth Abao
4. Izza Reneva-Cruz
5. Erwin Tulfo
6. Jay Sonza
7. Korina Sanchez-Roxas
8. Gel Santos-Relos
9. Group 103 forcibly terminated cameramen, cablemen, lightmen, vtr men, driver.
10 Group 457 forcibly dismissed employees.
11. Group 209 forcibly retired employees.
12. ten thousand employees without mandatory social amelioration coverage.”
He also urged Poe to invite TV host Willie Revillame in the hearing who received a P127-M copyright infringement case from ABS-CBN after he left the network.
Meanwhile, Sonza and Tiangco are former hosts of a now-defunct talk show host in ABS-CBN titled ‘Mel and Jay’ that became controversial after they suddenly transferred to GMA.
The two known journalists faced an issue with ABS-CBN in 1995 after Tiangco was suspended without pay by the television network for appearing in a detergent commercial without the company’s approval.
Sonza resigned from the television show, while Tiangco went on indefinite leave. Later on, the two journalists decided to cancel their contract with ABS-CBN.
In 1996, Tiangco and Sonza reunited in GMA-7 on their new talk show “Partners Mel & Jay”.
ABS-CBN didn’t let the two hosts go out easily as their complaint against Tiangco and Sonza reached the Supreme Court.
However, the Supreme Court favored Tiangco and Sonza, saying that there’s no evidence that GMA-7 tried to tempt the two journalists to leave ABS-CBN.
In 2013, Tiangco talked about his tiff with ABS-CBN when a reporter asked if she wanted her life story dramatized.
“Naku, baka hindi puwede! Kasi yun ang pang-aapi sa akin ng ABS CBN. Pero pwede ba yun? Baka idemanda tayo!”
“Kasi sobra ang panlalait sa akin. Sobra ang pagtapak sa akin. Dini-describe ko nga nun na, feeling ko, para akong ipis nun.” she added.
Now, among the former tandem, Sonza is the only one remaining vocal against ABS-CBN, while Tiangco is still working in GMA-7.
After Solicitor General Jose Calida filed a quo warranto petition before the Supreme Court against ABS-CBN, Sonza even asked his former network why people should sympathize with the broadcasting company.
“ABS-CBN. You’re asking for understanding, support and sympathy? Naawa ba kayo sa libong kawani na sapilitan ninyong tinanggal sa trabaho at kinasuhan pa?” Sonza asked.