Nancy Binay on House’s ABS-CBN delibs: Set aside personal views; it’s not about us

Senator Nancy Binay on Tuesday reminded public officials to uphold freedom of information over personal interests as the deliberations on ABS-CBN Corporation's franchise renewal continued in the House of Representatives.

A day after some House members accused ABS-CBN of unfair and biased reporting, Binay said that while her family has also been the subject of negative stories, she chooses to look after the greater good of the public.

"Kung mga hugot at hinanakit lang naman about negative stories ang pag-uusapan tungkol sa network, winner at topnotcher na ang pamilya namin. What kept us grounded is that we knew what was true, legit and factual versus the yarn of lies against our family," she said in a message.

"Despite the treatment we received, I always believe freedom to information and access to information are the bigger pictures in a democratic space. When I got elected into office, tanggap ko naman na bukas kami sa mga panunuri," she added.

Binay is the daughter of former Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Last elections, the senator's siblings Abby and Junjun both vied for the mayoral seat in Makati—known as the family's bailiwick—along with four other candidates. Abby won her second term.

Binay said that whether in media or politics, people must "transcend beyond personal biases" and take to heart their commitment and responsibility to the country.

"We have to set aside personal viewpoints because issues that we need to address should never be about us—it should always be for the greater good of every Filipino," she added.

ABS-CBN, for its part, said the network always strives to correct its mistakes and keep biases in check.

ABS-CBN president and CEO Carlo Katigbak also said that public officials will be given a chance to air their side on any issue involving them in the network's news platforms. — BM, GMA News