‘Eddie’ saves cable TV

The celebration last February of the 35th anniversary of the People Power Revolution that restored Philippine democracy reminded me of the first time I met Fidel V. Ramos.

We were discussing with our respective builders the progress of each other’s residential house one afternoon. That was in 1981, five years before the Edsa event.

He owned the lot adjacent to my own on a small street in Ayala Alabang Village, Muntinlupa City.

When we finished the brief inspection of our respective properties, he turned to me and said, “I like the design of your house. It looks compact and modern.”

I was happy to have Gen. Ramos, then chief of the Philippine Constabulary and deputy chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as my neighbor.

Before leaving he turned to me and said, “Just call me Eddie.”

We met a few more times and did small talk as the construction progressed.

It was Martial Law when businesses were often monopolies. That was the case for cable antenna television (CATV) then. A presidential decree enabled Sining Makulay, owned by a Marcos crony who also took over the facilities of ABS-CBN, to hog most of the CATV business, leaving only small patches for entrepreneurs like myself.

Fast forward to February 1986, the Edsa revolution.

Better life

As I was staying in Greenhills, San Juan City, it was easy to drive to my mother’s place in Wack Wack Village then walk to Edsa to participate in the historic People Power Revolution that had inspired others to seek or restore their own freedom.

Then Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile and his small group crossed Edsa and moved from Camp Aguinaldo to Camp Crame where Eddie Ramos, who had made the decision to join him, was waiting.

Those few days gave hope to millions of our fellow Filipinos for a new government and a better life after martial law. Entrepreneurs like me were encouraged to expand our modest ventures as the playing field was generally level again.

Executive Order (EO) No. 205, Series of 1987, which President Corazon “Cory” Aquino signed on June 30, 1987, invigorated the CATV business. I was then managing a cable business I set up with an American engineer and a few communications technicians from the shutdown ABS-CBN.

Cory’s executive order essentially removed the requirement for a franchise for cable TV operators.

Then after almost 21 years of running my CATV business, I was asked in 1992, a presidential election year after the inspired Cory administration, by the late Miriam Defensor Santiago (her fourth death anniversary will be marked on Sept. 29) to be her running mate as she drew up a lineup for her People’s Reform Party’s (PRP) national candidates.

Fledgling industry

I ended up fourth, after Joseph Estrada, Marcelino Fernan, and Lito Osmeña,

After the elections, I went back to running my CATV business.

In 1994, our cable TV association of less than 50 members decided we needed to ramp up our business and widen our reach.

Our board decided to invite Cory’s successor, President Ramos, so he would become more familiar with our fledgling industry.

The President readily accepted our invitation to be our guest of honor and keynote speaker. Eddie, who obtained a degree in civil engineering before becoming a career military officer, was very impressed with the whole brief affair and asked for more technical details related to the industry.

As an engineer by training, he was open to new technologies and an early user of the computer, as a visit to his study room in Malacañang showed.

New regulations

A year or so after this event, some politicians tried to introduce new regulations for the cable industry, in the mistaken notion that it was part of broadcast. This is simply not true. Broadcast uses airspace and a spectrum. Cable does not.

President Ramos put the issue to rest by issuing EO 436 on Sept. 9, 1997, which defined further our industry. The executive order described the role of CATV as supportive and supplemental to the service provided by the broadcast industry in providing people access to news, information, education, entertainment, sports and other programs that would help make Filipinos better informed, well-versed and culturally refined to enhance their socio-economic growth. Eddie’s appreciation of the need to reach the broadest audience through CATV was an indication of how he tried to meet the needs of the greater masses of Filipinos.

Effective President

EO 436 stated: “The operation of cable television systems, as a subscriber service undertaking with a unique technology, shall be maintained and distinct from telecommunications or broadcast television.”

During his tenure, President Ramos would take other steps that helped stabilize and push the growth of the Philippine economy, so much so Encyclopedia Britannica would say of him: “He was generally regarded as one of the most effective presidents in that nation’s (Philippines) history.”

We would all learn to appreciate the political legacy of President Eddie, not just because of what he did for our industry but especially for his handling of economic issues.
The years 1986 to 1992, then 1998, are truly worth remembering. President Ramos, who celebrated his 93rd birthday on March 18, described the Edsa revolution as one of the country’s resplendent moments, in his message to mark the occasion, although he also acknowledged that the work for deep reforms remained unfinished. —CONTRIBUTED inq