NEWSFLASH 

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BOOTS ANSON-ROA'S SIDE ON PBA-VINTAGE DEAL

Quezon City, April 2, 2000 - According to press releases and news articles which have been published recently, GMA Marketing, Inc. is filing graft cases against the president and general manager of Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), Boots Anson Roa, board directors Atty. Rene Bellow, Atty. Tereso Javier, Leonardo Belen, and Cristina ''Tina Loy'' Tolentino, and corporate secretary Azucena Garcia, before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the PBA television rights.

GMA Marketing, which lost its bid for the exclusive television rights to the PBA games to Viva Vintage Sports, Inc., alleges that Boots Anson Roa, several members of IBC’s board of directors and its corporate secretary falsely made it appear that IBC board of directors extended Viva Vintage’s contract for more IBC airtime necessary for Viva Vintage to continue its PBA franchise.

Here is the side of Boots Anson-Roa and the IBC board:

"These allegations are not true.

"IBC has been relying heavily on the revenues derived from the airing on IBC 13 by Vintage Television of PBA games. Were it not for this major source of revenue, IBC 13 would have long gone off the air. Countless employees, some of them having loyalty served IBC for decades, would have lost their source of livelihood.

"With this in mind and knowing fully well that IBC might not be able to survive the loss of the revenues and goodwill which it has derived, and will be deriving, from the airing on IBC 13 of PBA games, Boots Anson Roa and the majority of the members of the IBC’s board of directors proceeded to do the right thing by granting additional airtime to Viva Vintage for an extended ten-month period.

"In exchange, IBC was able to negotiate with Viva Vintage for more favorable terms, such as, an increase in the rate/cost per hour of broadcasting PBA games, additional commercial spots for IBC, and more airtime for public service announcements. All these translate to further revenues and enhanced goodwill for IBC. This was, and will be, clearly and directly beneficial to IBC. After all, PBA games have a large and loyal viewer base nationwide.

"In view of the fact that the success of Viva Vintage in the PBA bidding unmistakably meant to survival of IBC, IBC’s board of directors fully approved the contract between IBC and Viva Vintage in several board meetings. Said approval was done after close consultations with government authorities with jurisdiction over the network. Clearly the wisdom and propriety of the actions of IBC’s board of directors is clearly evident and will withstand any investigation.

"It is indeed, very unfortunate that certain persons who are not even privy to the affairs of IBC’s board of directors and who based, and continue to base, their conclusions on second-hand information unjustly sullied the integrity and good name of people who acted in the best interests of the government and IBC 13."

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