BIZ BUZZ: As Lopez feud heats up, First Gen keeps the lights on

Amid the intensifying boardroom drama at Lopez Inc., one key unit is making it clear: Business goes on.

Lopez-led First Gen Corp. has stepped in—not to take sides—but to calm nerves.

Its message? Operations remain steady despite the family feud now spilling into courtrooms.

The company issued a clarification after being dragged into the narrative, particularly over alleged multibillion-peso transactions tied to its assets.

But First Gen was quick to draw a line: Those claims, it said, had come from a legal pleading—not from the company itself.

Translation: Don’t shoot the messenger, or in this case, don’t pin the allegations on the operating unit.

Still, the bigger signal here is stability. First Gen underscored that it continues to run “business as usual, with no disruption,” even as the legal battle heats up at the top of the Lopez empire.

That reassurance matters. After all, First Gen sits at the heart of the group’s energy portfolio, alongside Energy Development Corp. and under the broader umbrella of First Philippine Holdings Corp.

For investors, the takeaway is simple: While the battle between Federico “Piki” Lopez and Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III continues, the group’s operating arms appear determined to keep the lights on—literally and figuratively.