Mel Tiangco is known for generation z televiewers as a top reporter of GMA-7, but not everyone knows that she worked in ABS-CBN and faced a legal battle in the ’90s against her former network.
In an interview with the Philippine Entertainment Portal in 2013, Tiangco made a rare statement about her tiff with ABS-CBN, recounting how her former network gave her hell after transferring in GMA-7.
“Naku, baka hindi puwede! Kasi yun ang pang-aapi sa akin ng ABS (CBN), pero puwede ba yun? baka idemanda tayo! Kasi kung meron mang bahagi ng buhay ko na may matinding pinagdaanan ko-iyon, eh,” Tiangco said when asked if she want her life story to be featured in tv show ‘Magpakailaman’.
According to her, she was treated like a cockroach during that time.
“Kasi sobra ang panlalait sa akin. Sobra ang pagtapak sa akin. Dini-describe ko nga nun na, feeling ko, para akong ipis nun,” she said.
Tiangco then revealed she’s still confused about why the company she loved so much treated her so badly.
“Ang natutunan ko lang sa experience na yun, ‘You cannot put a good man down. Pero alam mo noon, litung-lito ako, na hindi ko alam kung ano ang gagawin ko. Kasi, you know, I love that company very much. I gave everything I had. Bakit ako ginaganito?’ Yun lang ang umaano sa isip ko, ‘Ano ba ang ginawa ko? Bakit nila ako ginaganito?’” she said.
Despite not receiving an apology from ABS-CBN, Tiangco said that she already forgive the people behind her sufferings.
“Napatawad ko na sila kahit hindi sila nagsu-sorry. Napatawad ko na sila. Bakit hindi ko sila papatawarin, e, ang ganda-ganda ng buhay ko dito sa GMA,” the veteran journalist said.
It can be remembered that Tiangco faced a legal battle against ABS-CBN and even reached the Supreme Court after she was suspended without pay by the television network for appearing in a detergent commercial without the company’s approval.
She’s a former host of the television program “Mel and Jay” in ABS-CBN together with Jay Sonza.
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”.
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 January, Tiangco was featured in a special clip of TV Patrol introducing her as one of the host of the news program.
The story has been recirculated on social media after the franchise issue of ABS-CBN has been brought up.
Source: [1]