Duterte accepts ABS-CBN apology, but Congress to decide

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        ABS-CBN RENEWAL FRANCHISING



        It's illegal for ABS-CBN to continue to operate until 2022 under its current franchise, contrary to what lawmakers like Isabela Representative and legislative franchise committee vice chairman Tonypet Albano and House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano have said.

        However, it's unclear if this is valid under the law or not. Lawyer and former Supreme Court spokesman Ted Te said that the rules of Congress don't provide for this situations like this, wherein a franchise can continue if a bill that has been filed for its renewal wasn't granted immediately. "I'm not too sure if there's a specific rule governing that or just merely tradition," he said.

         In a separate interview, Jun Rodriguez, lecturer on Contemporary Issues in Media Law at Ateneo’s Masters in Journalism program, was certain that the network giant has no right to operate after the lapse of its 25-year franchise on March 30 regardless of the pending bills.



FRANCHISE RENEWAL. Employees and supporters of ABS-CBN join a protest calling for the network's franchise renewal. Photo by Lisa Marie David/Rappler

Employees and supporters of ABS-CBN join a protest calling for the network's franchise renewal. 


Saying he is just human, President Duterte accepted yesterday the apology of ABS-CBN television network for not airing his political advertisements in the 2016 elections, but maintained that the quo warranto case filed by the Office of the Solicitor General against the broadcast company would continue.
“I accept the apology, of course,” Duterte told reporters on the sidelines of the Ani ng Dangal Awards at Malacañang.
Duterte, however, insisted that he would leave the ABS-CBN franchise renewal application up to Congress.
The President distanced himself from Solicitor General Jose Calida, who filed a quo warranto petition before the Supreme Court seeking to invalidate the network’s franchise over alleged illegal practices.
“The SolGen does not clear with me, unlike the secretary of justice. You call my attention or he will bring it up in the Cabinet,” Duterte said.
‘To err is human, to forgive divine’
Duterte said he is not keen on accepting the P2.6-million balance from the P7 million worth of ads, which the network failed to refund after the 2016 presidential elections.
“They can just give it to any charitable institution of their choice,” he said.
As a human being, Duterte said he could forgive ABS-CBN but he leaves the fate of the network’s franchise to Congress.
“I am just human, you know. I have kept a distance from the case. The House of Representatives and the Senate are deliberating on the franchise renewal,” the President said. “The decision must come from the lower house. Forget about all these hulabaloo, the ballgame is in the House.” 
“I tell you, I am not going to interfere, whether you believe me or not,” Duterte added.
During the Senate public services committee hearing on Monday, ABS-CBN officials testified on issues regarding the network’s franchise renewal application before Congress.
ABS-CBN president and chief executive officer Carlo Katigbak apologized to the President if he was hurt over the non-airing of his political ads, but maintained the company merely complied with election laws. 
The network, however, aired the supposedly black propaganda paid for by former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, which featured clips of Duterte using foul language.
Cayetano assured ABS-CBN that they would not padlock the network, adding that the House of Representatives would conduct an “objective and fair hearing” when it deliberates on its franchise renewal application. 

BY: Rhea Jean Villaruz

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