MANILA, Philippines — The quo warranto petition against ABS-CBN is not an issue of press freedom, Malacañang said Monday.
“Wala ngang koneksyon yung press freedom e,” Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a press briefing.
Solicitor General Jose Calida filed Monday morning a quo warranto petition before the Supreme Court to void the broadcast network;’s franchise due to “abusive practices.”
READ: BREAKING: Solicitor General asks SC to forfeit ABS CBN’s franchise
The National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) slammed the Office of the Solicitor General’s (OSG) move, saying it tramples on the freedom of the press.
READ: ‘Vindictive’ Duterte ‘hellbent’ to shut down ABS-CBN, says NUJP
Panelo stressed those who oppose the OSG’s moe should appeal to Congress instead of the President.
“Dapat makiusap sila sa Congress na i-renew yung lisensya. Ang Presidente, wala syang pakialam doon,” Panelo said.
(They should appeal to the Congress to renew ABS-CBN’s license. The President doesn’t care about that.)
Panelo earlier insisted that President Rodrigo Duterte had nothing to do with the OSG’s petition to revoke ABS-CBN’s franchise.
READ: Duterte had nothing to do with SolGen petition vs ABS-CBN – Panelo
This, despite the President’s repeated threats to shut down the network due to its supposed failure to air his presidential campaign advertisement in 2016.
Meanwhile, several lawmakers slammed OSG’s move, saying the petition was unwarranted and misplaced.
READ: Solons slam OSG petition vs ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN’s franchise is set to lapse on March 30, 2020.