Atom Araullo, a former ABS-CBN news reporter, slammed Anak Kalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor over issues involving ABS-CBN’s bid for franchise renewal.
On July 6, the 12th congressional hearing of ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal tackled issues regarding the 2016 elections involving President Rodrigo Duterte.
In his Twitter post, Araullo shared an article about National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) blasting Defensor that says “Katulad nung reklamo nung isang kasama ko, naka-air na naman sila, tinira si ganito, tumira si ganyan, o one-sided iyong paglabas ng issue.”
Defensor also said that some lawmakers were not happy with how the network delivered their “one-sided” reports which he said is one of the reasons the network is having a hard time getting its franchise renewed.
Araullo said, “If this isn’t a clear indication that ABS-CBN’s franchise woes is a press freedom issue, I don’t know what is.”
If this isn’t a clear indication that ABS-CBN’s franchise woes is a press freedom issue, I don’t know what is.
— Atom Araullo (@atomaraullo) July 6, 2020
The public noticed that Congressmen Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, Michael Defensor, and Rodante Marcoleta are constantly bringing up debunked allegations against ABS-CBN. Some see it as an act of revenge by the said Congressmen
Rep. Mike Defensor has also been compared to Gollum, a character from the movie “Lord of the Rings” who became obsessed with the ring and eventually was corrupted by it.
Like Gollum, Mike Defensor started as a prominent, young leader yet ended up as a target of criticisms and judgments because of his imprudence.
Despite the ire of the netizens, Defensor claimed that he was neutral on the franchise renewal issue yet expressed biased opinions against the network.
Atom Araullo was a Kapamilya for 13 years. In September 2017, he transferred to GMA Network.
