Francisco will working as an executive producer for the English news channel.
Mercado will take over the highly acclaimed 9 o'clock edition of 'Newsroom,' currently anchored by Mitzi Borromeo.
The morning program will be one of the first casualties from the ESPN deal.
Tulfo said he will return to the airwaves in August.
Tulfo took to Twitter to call Lingao a "lousy TV5 journalist and newscaster" who "wants fame at the expense of other broadcaster."