ABS-CBN’s Maria Ressa maintained that the station’s News and Current Affairs department is not biased, much less an “Aquino station.”

“People have said we're biased, and I always answer back, 'Bias is in the eyes of the beholder,'” the department head said at a recent press conference.

Critics claim that during the campaign period, the Kapamilya network delivered news that were slanted in favor of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. Now that he is in Malacañang, rumors have it that ABS-CBN will be an “Aquino station.”

Ressa said that “the way we report the news will [not] change in the administration.” Their main goal, she related, “is to serve the Filipino people the best way possible and that means telling them the way it is even if it’s hurtful to us.”

She admitted that in many instances, they are “harder than any of our competition, because, we, even internally, we really try to push aside vested interests.”

What infuriates her most is the allegation that ABS-CBN owes a “debt of gratitude” particularly to former President Cory Aquino for “giving back” the station to the Lopezes (ABS-CBN’s owners) after ex-President Ferdinand Marcos sequestered it during his regime.

"When people say things like, 'Because 24 years ago, the Aquinos gave this network back to the Lopezes, obviously we must be biased,' I just go, 'Gosh, tell me the logic of that.' Dun ako nagagalit," said the former head of CNN International’s Jakarta bureau.

If there’s anyone that Ressa and the rest of their journalists owe something to, she said it’s “the people [we] write reports for.”

Ressa cited examples that show ABS-CBN was fair with their election coverage. One of these was when “TV Patrol” aired Baby James Yap’s much-talked about “Villar” slip during one of his uncle Noynoy’s sorties. According to Ressa, ABS-CBN was the only station that broadcasted the clip.

The same program also made a report on Willie Revillame's charge that the station does not show the huge turn-out of people at Manny Villar sorties unlike its footage of Noynoy’s.

“[And on] that same report, we also ran Kris [Aquino] saying that we’re evil people,” she said, pertaining to the former who reportedly got dismayed over the news department's decision to air her son Bimby's "Villar" video.

It can also be recalled that ABS-CBN, as well as GMA-7, aired an interview of Villar’s sisters, one of whom blurted that both stations were biased against their brother, Manny.

“Perhaps they weren’t happy with the way we were reporting on it. Our goal is not to make them happy; our goal is to tell the truth,” she said.

Ressa referred to an evaluation conducted by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, an independent monitoring group, who “analyzed all of the news programs of GMA-7 and ABS-CBN during elections." She said that "they came out with a study that showed that ABS-CBN had no bias in their coverage.”

Meanwhile, she gave a vague response to the long-running speculation that former Vice-President Noli de Castro will return to ABS-CBN. The ex-“Magandang Gabi Bayan” host and “TV Patrol” anchor had expressed in an earlier interview his desire to recommence his career in broadcasting.

"Let me put it this way. I'm very, very happy with the anchors that we have. They work very hard to give you the news. So at this point in time, I don't see our news anchors changing," said Ressa.

As for Korina Sanchez, the news chief said they will give the “Rated K” host a one-year break before she can return anchoring “Bandila” with Ces Drilon and Henry Omaga-Diaz. Sanchez is the wife of Aquino III’s running mate, Mar Roxas, who lost the vice-presidential slot to Jejomar Binay.

"A good rule of thumb for us is exactly what happens in government when you run for office. You campaign, and you either don't get the office or you resign in the process. There's a one-year rule.

“I think it's a good rule for us to take on because in the campaign, while Korina herself did not run for office, she also campaigned. It will be hard to think that she will be able to say reports on Vice President Binay. So a one-year break and we'll assess again," she said.