ABS-CBN franchise’s fate not up to PRRD: Palace

In a Senate hearing on Monday, Katigbak said ABS-CBN was sorry if a 2016 campaign advertisement of the opposition offended Duterte. (File photo: Paul Papadimitriou/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte’s “personal” grievances against broadcast firm ABS-CBN Corp. will not have an influence on its franchise renewal bid, Malacañang said Wednesday.

Speaking to Palace reporters, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo maintained that Duterte’s displeasure over ABS-CBN’s supposed bias was not factored into the recent filing of quo warranto suit against the local media giant’s congressional franchise.

Panelo made the statement when quizzed as to what would possibly happen after ABS-CBN president and chief executive officer Carlo Katigbak apologized to Duterte.

He insisted that Solicitor General Jose Calida lodged the quo warranto petition against ABS-CBN on his own.

“The quo warranto has nothing to do with the personal feeling of displeasure, hurt and offense of the President. The SolGen has constitutional duty to do what he has done,” he said.

In a Senate hearing on Monday, Katigbak said ABS-CBN was sorry if a 2016 campaign advertisement of the opposition offended Duterte.

Katigbak, however, said ABS-CBN “does not and will not have its own political agenda.”

Senator Christopher Lawrence Go, who served as Duterte’s long-time aide, said he would appeal to the President to reconsider stand on the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN for the sake of 11,000 workers who may lose their jobs.

Panelo said Go’s plea was merely intended to convince Duterte to “forgive” ABS-CBN.

He noted that it would have no direct bearing on the fate of ABS-CBN’s legislative franchise.

“He (Go) will appeal to the President na huwag nang magalit sa (to no longer hold a grudge against) ABS-CBN. (It has) nothing to do with the (franchise) renewal,” Panelo said.

Panelo also said the grant of franchise renewal “lies mainly and exclusively with Congress.”

Lawmakers have the final say on ABS-CBN’s franchise, Panelo said.

“So there is no way by which anybody can be blaming this President for the action of Congress, whether the previous Congress or the present Congress,” he said.

Joint resolution on franchise extension ‘not binding’

Panelo also slammed the move to file a joint resolution that seeks to extend the validity of ABS-CBN’s franchise to June 30, 2022.

He said a joint resolution could not be considered as a “binding” document.

ABS-CBN’s 25-year franchise would still lapse on May 4 this year, Panelo said.

“You must remember that resolution is not binding and the expiration of the franchise will be on May 4, 15 days after the publication in a newspaper of general circulation,” he said.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said ABS-CBN will effectively cease its broadcast operations on May 4, 2020, and not on March 30, 2020, because the franchise granted on Mach. 30, 1995 only took effect 15 days after its publication in newspapers.

Panelo said Congress should instead approve a bill granting a franchise renewal on ABS-CBN.

“If they can pass a resolution, I cannot understand why they cannot pass a law on either renewal of the grant of a franchise whether with respect to ABS-CBN or other pending applicants because the vote needed for a resolution is a majority vote. The vote needed for passing a law is also a majority vote,” he said.

The 11 bills seeking the extension of ABS-CBN’s franchise for another 25 years remain pending before the House of Representatives.

A franchise bill has to be first approved by the Senate and the House of Representatives before the President can sign it into law.