MANILA — The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the ABS-CBN to comment on the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida for the revocation of the existing franchise of the network.
SC spokesperson Keith Hosaka said in a statement on Tuesday the high court justices have given ABS-CBN 10 days to submit their response on the franchise revocation challenge.
“The Supreme Court in today’s en banc session, required the respondents to file their comment to the said petition for quo warranto within a non-extendible period of 10 days from receipt of notice” Hosaka said.
The court, in the same order, also sought for ABS-CBN’s comments on the proposed issuance of a temporary restraining order that would prohibit the network from operating the Kapamilya Box Office Channel.
Calida on Monday asked the SC to cancel ABS-CBN’s legislative franchise, citing “highly abusive practices” of the network including supposed violations of Congress rules.
These violations include allowing foreign investors to “take part in the ownership of a Philippine mass media entity” as well as launching media services without prior approval from the National Telecommunications Commission.
The quo warranto petition – lodged against ABS-CBN Corporation and its subsidiary, ABS-CBN Convergence Inc. – came weeks before the network’s existing franchise is set to expire on March 30.
Meanwhile, the Malacañang urged the artists and employees of ABS-CBN network to address their appeal to the House of Representatives and not to President Rodrigo Duterte.
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said that the workers of the network are barking on the wrong tree by appealing to President Duterte not to shut down its network and allow the renewal of its franchise.
“Mali ‘yung kanilang pinapakiusapan. Dapat makiusap sila sa Congress na i-renew ‘yung lisensya kasi ang Presidente, wala naman siyang pakialam doon,” Panelo said in a media briefing.
“Ang hukuman naman ang magde-decide, hindi naman siya. So palaging outside the kulambo siya don e. Wala siya doon. But, I can understand the feelings of people in ABS-CBN. Natural lang ‘yun,” he added.
Panelo emphasized that Duterte was only expressing “displeasure” over ABS-CBN’s supposed biased reporting, failure to air his political ads during the 2016 presidential race and return the money he paid for these but has nothing to do with the quo warranto.
“(Duterte) was a victim of fraud (of ABS-CBN). And when he expresses that, that expression falls within the freedom of expression which we cannot deprive a President of given that all citizens are entitled to that,” Panelo said.
“But it doesn’t mean nor has it anything to do with the petition filed by the Solicitor General because that is the job of the SolGen. And if he does not do that, then he would be charged with dereliction of duty,” he added.
President Duterte has repeatedly threatened to block the franchise renewal of ABS CBN when it expires at the end of March. He even suggested to the Lopezes to just sell the network.
A quo warranto petition is a special writ or legal action which would compel a person or entity to show by what warrant an office or franchise was held, claimed and exercised.
There are at least nine bills filed in the House of Representatives seeking the renewal of the network’s franchise but those measures were not yet being tackled by the House Committee on Legislative Franchises./PN
