MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo Lacson sees no “conflict in jurisdictions” in the filing of a quo warranto petition by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) against media giant ABS-CBN.
In a statement issued on Monday, Lacson said Solicitor General Jose Calida could not be prevented from filing the petition in the case of ABS-CBN’s legislative franchise.
“It is a matter of different jurisdictions. The quo warranto petition is under the original jurisdiction of the Court. Approval or renewal of legislative franchise is the jurisdiction of both houses of Congress. As such, I see no conflict in jurisdictions,” he said.
Citing Article VIII, Section 5, Paragraph 1 of the 1987 Constitution, the senator said the Supreme Court “exercises original jurisdiction over a petition for quo warranto, among other petitions filed by the State through the Office of the Solicitor General.”
“Hence, Solicitor General Jose Calida cannot be prevented from filing the petition in the case of the legislative franchise of ABS-CBN,” he added.
Nevertheless, Lacson said Congress is likewise not prevented from exercising its powers to act on the renewal application or a new franchise as provided under the same Constitution.
Bills seeking to renew the franchise of ABS-CBN is currently pending before the House of Representatives.
Malacañang has already denied that President Rodrigo Duterte had a hand in Calida’s petition.
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According to the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP), the OSG’s petition against the media firm is proof that the government is “hellbent on using all its powers to shut down the broadcast network.”
READ: ‘Vindictive’ Duterte ‘hellbent’ to shut down ABS-CBN, says NUJP
The chief executive himself has repeatedly threatened to block the franchise renewal of the television giant for what he claimed was unfair treatment of him during the 2016 presidential campaign.
“We must not allow the vindictiveness of one man, no matter how powerful, to run roughshod over the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of the press and of expression, and the people’s right to know,” the NUJP further said.
/atm