KURYENTE: After losing control of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), is the Lopez family into another kind of “kuryente”? Or are the Lopezes just losing control of their spirited media personnel?

I am asking, because their ABS-CBN network peddled on its TV Patrol show the other night another “kuryente” (a Filipino newsroom term for a bum steer, a phony story).

The Lopez network broadcast a false and malicious report, with my picture to boot, that I was among more than 200 midnight appointees that President Arroyo had dumped on the incoming Aquino administration.

Citing a piece of paper from the Presidential Management Staff, ABS-CBN said I had been appointed director of the Philippine National Oil Co., a state firm. Obviously, the network was, in the media jargon, “nakuryente.”

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NO LAPDOG: The report on my being a PNOC director is totally false. I do not even know where the PNOC office/building is or what the firm does to justify its existence.

That story invented by ABS-CBN fiction-writers lumped me with other columnists stereotyped (unfairly, I think) as Malacañang apologists. The insinuation was that media men are placed in state firms either as a reward or a motivation for writing favorably about the administration.

Actually I feel good being thrown into the company of such fine opinion-writers as Emil Jurado (Standard) and Alex Magno (Star). But I object to the malicious suggestion that I am an Arroyo lapdog, which I certainly am not.

For one, First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, who once called me an “s.o.b.” in the presence of polite company, will not agree with whoever says I am in their kennel. Not with the critical way I sometimes write about them.

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TEXT EXCHANGE: After TV Patrol’s airing, anchor Ricky Carandang texted me. He must have been alerted about my reaction to their story. He said: “I understand you deny the report claiming you were appointed to the board of PNOC?”

I texted back: “I didn’t see or hear the report that you guys manufactured. I don’t know what to deny or confirm. As professionals, you should have checked your facts before airing them – instead of broadcasting them recklessly and then asking me if I am denying your report. If you peddled a falsehood about me (I still don’t know if you did), I demand an equally publicized rectification and an apology.”

Ricky said: “I’ve checked my documents. It was a DIFFERENT Federico Pascual, not you, that was appointed. Erratum and apologies are airing tonight and tomorrow. It was my error and I take full responsibility for it. I have admitted it to my superiors for appropriate action. I sincerely apologize to you for the error.”

I texted back: “Pls produce, with foto, the Federico Pascual who you said was appointed director of PNOC. If you don’t or can’t produce him, your explanation is a mere concoction like your earlier report (with foto) on me as a GMA appointee. ABS-CBN did a similar demolition job on me before, using a negative item on another Federico Pascual but with my foto used to identify him.”

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COVERUP CLAIM: Until press time, Ricky has not produced the other Federico Pascual that he claimed was appointed to PNOC. To me, this means that all throughout, they were really referring to me, picture and all.

It would have been fine if our friends in ABS-CBN simply admitted they erred in dragging me into the midnight appointment mess.

As I tell students in journalism school, everybody makes mistakes, especially in fast-clip reporting. A quick relief would be to admit the error, apologize and promptly make the necessary corrections.

Concocting that coverup claim that ABS-CBN was referring to another Federico Pascual, and not to me, only superimposed another lie on the first false report, thereby compounding their credibility problem.

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DEMOLITION: That reference to a previous demolition job on me recalls ABS-CBN’s broadcasting a similar report about a namesake, who was in banking and another state firm, against whom charges had been filed.

That would have been routine reportage, except that the network – hyper and shrill as usual – put in my picture and told TV viewers it was me the Star columnist on the carpet. (One time I might devote one column to that eternally recycled mug shot.)

When I protested the false reference, they apologized and ran corrections. They always kick you first, then say sorry.

Our ABS-CBN friends can use a little more restraint – and humility — when raking their victims over the coals. I think their bosses the Lopezes will realize that that is even good for the family business.

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RUINOUS CHANNEL: A big dose of patriotism will help, too.

Somebody should tell the Lopezes that their scattering to the four corners of the world bad news about the Philippines seems to be good business only because they now dominate the Filipino cable-TV business abroad.

But when a more enlightened competitor comes along with balanced and positive programming, the negative fare on the Lopez menu abroad will be dumped by Filipinos who hunger for good news about their homeland.

Many Filipinos abroad who have no choice but to watch only the Lopez channel often call home fearful that the country is going to pieces. Some of them are actually afraid to come visiting.

What can we expect when all they see on the Filipino global channel is sex, crime, scandal and showbiz.

It is sad that in their desire to destroy Gloria Arroyo via their powerful medium, the Lopezes are also destroying our country.