1989

Then ABS-CBN president Eugenio Lopez Jr. establishes ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. (AFI). Lorenzo Tañada Jr. serves as AFI president, while Margarita “Gretchen” Ocampo is executive director

1990

AFI joins disaster relief operations during the 1990 Luzon earthquake

1991

Gina Lopez (GL), who has just returned to the country after two decades as a missionary overseas, volunteers in AFI as part of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption response

1993

After completing her masters in development management at the Asian Institute of Management, GL is named managing director of AFI. She starts focusing on programs for children

Here's how the Philippines fared in its fight against COVID-19 in the past couple of weeks.

June 30

At the five-month mark since its first case, the country records 1,080 new cases to push its total past the 37,000 mark, while the number of patients who have recovered from COVID-19 reaches 10,233

July 1

The Philippines adds 999 patients to increase its total to 38,511 confirmed COVID19 cases

The general community quarantine (GCQ) in Metro Manila is extended for another two weeks; also placed under GCQ are Benguet, Rizal and Cavite in Luzon and eight areas in the Visayas

July 3

With 1,531 new infections, the Philippines logs a total of 40,336 COVID-19 cases; 400 recoveries tow the country past the 11,000 mark to 11,073

Some five weeks after the first hearing, Rep. Lito Atienza called the inquiry into ABSCBN’s bid for a new 25-year franchise “among the longest.”

May 5

ABS-CBN signs off after the airing of “TV Patrol” to comply with the cease and desist order issued by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) following the expiration of its congressional franchise on May 4

May 26

ABS-CBN president Carlo L. Katigbak (CLK) gives his opening statement at the first hearing led by the Joint Committee on Legislative Franchises and Good Government and Public Accountability

June 1

CLK responds to various issues, including the interpretation of the 50-year franchise limit and ABS-CBN’s issuance of Philippine Deposit Receipts (PDRs), at the second hearing

June 3

ABS-CBN chairman emeritus Eugenio Lopez III (EL3), at the third hearing, asserts that he is a natural-born Filipino as both his parents are Filipino

June 8

“When ABS-CBN was taken off the air, over three million Filipinos no longer receive the signal that allowed them to be informed about the issues that beset the country… Those signals we put in those areas will not generate the kind of income that will allow you as a businessman to have an adequate return,” EL3 says at the fourth panel hearing, which again zeroes in on his citizenship

June 11

At the fifth hearing, CLK explains that the sale of the ABS-CBN TVplus boxes is “in compliance with the directive of NTC to migrate our broadcast to digital” by 2023, as stated in the framework for the digital terrestrial television broadcasting migration plan released in 2017

Additionally, ABS-CBN legal counsel Atty. Cynthia del Castillo clarifies that ABS-CBN Corporation and ABS-CBN Holdings are “two different companies and it is ABS-CBN Holdings that is the one issuing the PDRs”; moreover, holders of ABS-CBN Holdings PDRs are only passive investors

June 15 

“Two administrations [Pres. Cory Aquino and Pres. Fidel Ramos administrations] gave imprimatur for the return of the possession of ABS-CBN of its real estate, properties and broadcast equipment. And even the Supreme Court, one validating the agreement to arbitrate and another one for the factual circumstances, lends constitutionality to the return,” Atty. Arecio Rendor Jr. points out at the sixth hearing focusing on the closure of ABS-CBN and its eventual return to the Lopezes after the fall of the Marcos dictatorship

June 17

Former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile testifies at the seventh hearing, saying that while ABS-CBN’s facilities were seized by the Marcos government in 1972, the titles remained with the company’s owners

June 29

The block time agreement with AMCARA Broadcasting Network which allowed ABSCBN to continue broadcasting via ABS-CBN TVplus on the Channel 43 frequency is examined at the eighth hearing. CLK says the cease and desist order did not include Channel 43

June 30 

Labor issues are tackled at the ninth hearing, with network executives answering questions regarding program-based contracts and other practices unique to the industry

The network complies with an alias cease and desist order from NTC to cease and desist from operating digital TV transmission in Metro Manila through Channel 43

July 1

At the 10th hearing, ABS-CBN responds to allegations that it uses ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. and Big Dipper Digital Content and Design Inc. as tax shields

July 2

Tax issues are again brought up at the 11th panel hearing

July 6

Allegations of biased reporting and questions about the morality of its content are leveled against the network at the 12th hearing

July 9 

A final hearing is conducted for the summation of the earlier hearings

July 10

Members of the House of Representatives vote 70-11 to deny the network’s application for a new franchise

May 15

The Philippines moves past the 12,000 mark with 12,091 total COVID-19 cases; survivors are at 2,460 while 806 have died. The National Capital Region (NCR) accounts for 144 of the 215 new cases

May 20

As recoveries approach the 3,000 mark, 279 new cases push the country’s total cases to 13,221; 150 of the new cases are reported in Metro Manila

Globally, the tally hits 5 million total COVID-19 infections, with the US reporting 1.5 million, followed by Russia, Brazil, the UK and Spain

May 24

The number of infections reaches 14,035, with 195 of the 258 new cases coming from Metro Manila

May 27

The Philippines reports 15,049 COVID-19 infections, with NCR accounting for 254 of the 380 new cases. Recoveries reach 3,506 while fatalities are at 904

May 28

Metro Manila is set to transition to a two-week “general community quarantine” (GCQ) starting June 1

May 29

The national total rises to 16,634 with the addition of 1,046 cases—1,000 of these are “late cases” or tests whose results were released “more than four days ago” and 46 are “fresh cases” with test results released “within the last three days”

To date, the Philippines has set up 37 facilities to screen for COVID-19 and 11 labs to conduct RT-PCR tests 

May 30

At the four-month mark since its first case, the country lists 252 fresh cases and 338 late cases, for a total of 17,224 individuals ill with COVID-19

May 31

The country logs 18,086 cases, as well as a total of 957 deaths and 3,909 recoveries

Meanwhile, cases top 6 million globally, with 1.7 cases reported in the US. The US also accounts for some 103,000 out of 368,000 deaths overall

June 3

The Philippines jumps past the 19,000 mark to 19,748 on Day 3 of the GCQ after reporting 751 new cases (221 fresh cases and 530 late cases)

June 4

The addition of 634 new cases (313 fresh cases and 321 late cases) brings the Philippines’ total to 20,382

June 6

With 350 fresh cases (104 from Metro Manila, 171 from Central Visayas and 75 from other areas) and 364 late cases, the country tallies a total of 21,340 COVID-19 infections

June 7

Nine fatalities raise the Philippines’ total to 1,003, while recoveries from COVID-19 are at 4,530

June 8

The country logs 22,474 confirmed cases of COVID19 infections after 331 fresh cases and 248 late cases are reported

The pandemic is reported to have killed 400,052 globally—among nations, the toll remains highest in the US with almost 110,000, followed by Britain, Brazil, Italy and France. Also, COVID-19 has sickened more than 7 million people thus far

June 10

Aside from passing the 23,000 mark to reach 23,732 COVID19 infections, the country also reports 159 recoveries to bring the total recoveries to 4,895

June 11

With 253 fresh cases and 190 late cases, the Philippines slips past the 24,000 mark to notch 24,175 COVID-19 cases

June 13

Philippine COVID-19 infections are now at 25,392; the latest figure includes 504 fresh cases and 103 late cases

June 15

The GCQ in Metro Manila is extended until June 30 After the addition of 348 fresh cases and 142 late cases, the Philippine tally reaches 26,420 persons ill with COVID-19

June 16

The world records more than 8 million confirmed cases, while recoveries pass 3.8 million. The US, Brazil and the UK lead in terms of the number of deaths, now totaling more than 400,000 globally