Palace distances from NTC’s halt order vs. ABS-CBN programs

ABS-CBN stopped its television and radio broadcasts on May 5 after NTC issued a cease and desist order following the expiration of the network’s 25-year legislative franchise on May 4. (File photo: Paul Papadimitriou/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

MANILA – Malacañang on Wednesday distanced itself from the latest move of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to issue two cease and desist orders stopping ABS-CBN Corp.’s digital broadcast on TVPlus in Metro Manila and Sky’s satellite broadcast nationwide.

“As far as the Malacañang’s position is concerned, we refer to the actions of the NTC because it is the administrative agency specifically created by law to deal with these matters,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a television interview.

His statement came after NTC issued cease and desist orders directing ABS-CBN to stop its broadcasts of its TVPlus channels and the services of Sky Cable Corp.

Roque said the executive branch could not question NTC’s latest directives.

He added that only competent courts can review the decisions issued by NTC.

“I’m not too familiar with the issues raised by the NTC because as I have repeatedly said, NTC is a quasi-judicial body. We do not have power of appellate review over decisions of NTC and its decisions are appealable only to the courts,” Roque said.

The NTC issued a cease and desist order on June 30, ordering ABS-CBN to stop operating its digital television transmission using Amcara Broadcasting Corp.’s Channel 43.

The order would affect programs aired on ABS-CBN’s TVPlus offerings, which include Cine Mo!, Yey!, DZMM Teleradyo, Jeepney TV, Asianovela Channel, and its pay-per-view channel KBO.

ABS-CBN stopped its television and radio broadcasts on May 5 after NTC issued a cease and desist order following the expiration of the network’s 25-year legislative franchise on May 4.

It later resumed some of its shows on TVPlus through blocktime using Channel 43.

The NTC, in a separate cease and desist order also dated June 30, also directed ABS-CBN’s cable firm, Sky Cable Corp., to halt its direct-to-home satellite transmission that would affect households with Sky Direct satellite dishes.

The NTC said Sky Cable Corp. “no longer has a valid subsisting congressional franchise to install, operate, or maintain a Direct Broadcast Service satellite” because it also expired on May 4.

Roque said the Palace would only rely on the provision of the 1987 Constitution which allows the operations of broadcast firms with valid congressional franchise.

“We can only respect the provision of the Constitution that broadcast companies can only operate with a valid franchise issued by Congress,” he said.

ABS-CBN on May 7 asked the Supreme Court to stop NTC’s May 5 halt order but justices have yet to issue a decision on the petition.