Palace: No need for Duterte’s guidance on donating refund for unaired ads

MANILA, Philippines — There is no need for ABS-CBN to ask for President Rodrigo Duterte’s guidance in donating the P2.6 million worth of refund that the network was supposed to pay him for his unaired political advertisements in 2016, Malacañang said Thursday.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Duterte already gave them the “blanket authority” to donate it to whichever charitable organization they like when he accepted their apology.

“There is no need for guidance. The President has already given them the blanket authority, just donate it to your favorite charitable organization,” Panelo said in a press briefing.

“In other words, binigay na nga sa kanila yung discretion to choose,” he added.

ABS-CBN earlier said it is “grateful and humbled” that the President accepted its apology over a critical advertisement it aired during the 2016 national elections.

The network added it is reaching out to the President’s office to ask guidance as to where to donate the refund for his unaired ads.

ABS-CBN President Carlo Katigbak, during a Senate hearing on the network’s franchise renewal, apologized for any hard feelings that the network’s airing of the former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV political ad has caused to the President.

Katigbak also explained that circumstances that transpired that led to ABS-CBN’s failure to air some of Duterte’s local advertisements during the 2016 elections.

The network’s franchise renewal is still impending before Congress, with its license set to lapse in May.

Edited by EDV