Tag: business deals
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The 13‑Hour Meralco meeting: Inside one of the most dramatic shareholders’ battles I’ve covered
In May 2008, Meralco’s annual stockholders’ meeting turned into a 13‑hour corporate siege—boos and chants, dead microphones, SEC orders, and a walk‑out press conference in a nearby mall. This eyewitness account traces how that day unfolded and how it quietly set up the end of Lopez control of Meralco.
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![[2009] Meralco’s boardroom saga wont be decided in stockholders meeting](https://lalarimando.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2009-meralcos-boardroom-saga-wont-be-decided-in-stockholders-meeting-lalarimando.com-.png?w=150)
[2009] Meralco’s boardroom saga wont be decided in stockholders meeting
NOTE: This was a story I wrote a year as part of my coverage of how the Lopez family lost control of a ‘crown jewel,’ Meralco. This was published on May 25, 2009
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![[2008] The inside story: How San Miguel worked its way into Meralco’s board](https://lalarimando.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/the-inside-story-of-how-san-miguel-worked-its-way-into-meralco-board.png?w=150)
[2008] The inside story: How San Miguel worked its way into Meralco’s board
NOTE: This was a story I wrote piecing together the inner workings of a business deal announced to a shocked Manila business community in 2008. From various interviews, I learned how Ramon Ang’s weekend visit to Cebu to charm Winston Garcia of state pension fund GSIS resulted in last minute changes on who the Lopez…
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![[2008] San Miguel changes hands with GSIS: The end of the Meralco saga?](https://lalarimando.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2008-san-miguel-changes-hands-with-gsis-the-end-of-the-meralco-saga-lalarimando.com-.png?w=150)
[2008] San Miguel changes hands with GSIS: The end of the Meralco saga?
NOTE: This was a story I wrote a year as part of my coverage of the Lopez family’s battle against a hostile Arroyo government in 2008. The family business was under attack due to the conglomerate’s media arm ABS-CBN’s news coverage that was critical of the then Arroyo government. This story is a post-mortem of…
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![[2008] Meralco board saga: Classic case on how to win a war](https://lalarimando.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2008-meralco-board-saga-classic-way-of-how-to-win-a-war-lalarimando.com-.png?w=150)
[2008] Meralco board saga: Classic case on how to win a war
NOTE: This was a story I wrote a year as part of my coverage of the Lopez family’s battle against a hostile Arroyo government in 2008. The family business was under attack due to the conglomerate’s media arm ABS-CBN’s news coverage that was critical of the then Arroyo government. This story is a post-mortem of…
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Let’s break down the Manila Water deal between Ayala and Razon groups
Is there politics in the Manila Water ownership changes? Or is this just business?
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[2009] Lopez: Meralco needs gov’t support to be profitable
NOTE: This was a story I wrote a year after the Lopez family ‘sacrificed’ their stake in Meralco. In 2008, the family business was under attack due to the conglomerate’s media arm ABS-CBN’s news coverage that was critical of the then Arroyo government. This story captured the sentiments of the patriarch then, Oscar Lopez. This…