ABS-CBN’s alleged abuses should be discussed in proper forum – Robredo

Vice President Leni Robredo speaks during the turnover on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020, of the Sustainable Livelihood Subsidy to the Planza High Value Crops Planters Association in San Fernando town in Camarines Sur. (Photo from her Facebook account)

MANILA, Philippines – The alleged abuses that broadcasting network ABS-CBN has committed should be discussed in the proper forum and not through a quo warranto petition, Vice President Leni Robredo said on Wednesday.

According to Robredo, the issues raised by Solicitor General Jose Calida can be discussed in Congress — which has the authority to grant or deny franchises of media companies.

“If there are alleged violations, why don’t we discuss in the proper forum?  Why can’t this be discussed in the hearings at the Congress, as it is the process stated in the law,” Robredo said in Filipino in an ambush interview with journalists in San Fernando town in Camarines Sur.

“We all know that Congress has the power to extend and provide a new franchise.  The quo warranto was filed, but it seems that the quo warranto provision is being abused,” she added.

She was referring to the quo warranto petition that Calida filed on at the Supreme Court against ABS-CBN and its subsidiaries for, among other things, allegedly hiding foreign ownership behind a corporate veil — therefore violating constitutional provisions on media ownership.

However, ABS-CBN denied the allegations, saying that there was nothing wrong with sourcing foreign funding legally, as the Security and Exchange Commission had evaluated their Philippine Deposit Receipts or PDRs.

READ: BREAKING: Solicitor General asks SC to forfeit ABS CBN’s franchise

Robredo has already denounced the move, calling it an abuse of power that would benefit only a few people who would want to see the network close down.

READ: Robredo hits ‘abuse of power’ in move to revoke ABS-CBN’s franchise

Bills calling for the renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise, which will expire by the end of March, are currently pending in Congress.  However, President Rodrigo Duterte has repeatedly threatened to block any legislation extending the franchise.

Duterte has often called out ABS-CBN News for alleged bias in reporting about him and noted that his campaign materials in 2016 were not aired by the network despite being paid already.

Recently, he advised the station’s owners to just sell the company as he would see to it that it would be shut down.

“For me, March is already near,” Robredo said. “It seems that the filing of the quo warranto is very timely.  The bills were filed as early as 2017, but until now they are not being heard.”

READ: ‘Vindictive’ Duterte ‘hellbent’ to shut down ABS-CBN, says NUJP

READ: Duterte to ABS-CBN owners: Just sell it

READ: Duterte to ABS-CBN: ‘I will see to it that you are out’

The Vice President also called on members of Congress to uphold the voice of the people.

“We are expecting the lawmakers to representatives of the people, that the voice of the people should resonate, and not serve the interests of other people with different mindsets,” she said. “This is a fight not only ABS-CBN. But the bigger implication affects the right of each person to free speech.  This provides pressure to other media outlets and not only businesses would be affected by this move.”