(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, Feb. 26, said he “accept(s)” ABS-CBN’s apology for not airing his paid political advertisements in 2016.
“I accept the apology, of course,” the President told reporters in the Palace, referring to ABS-CBN president Carlo Katigbak’s apology before a Senate panel hearing the network’s compliance to its franchise.
President Duterte added that he would not interfere in the network’s application for franchise renewal in Congress.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has said the network’s franchise was set to lapse in May.
The franchise renewal application is separate from the quo warranto petition filed by the Office of the Solicitor General before the Supreme Court.
In the petition that seeks for the revocation of ABS-CBN’s existing franchise, Solicitor General Jose Calida argued ABS-CBN violated the franchise terms when it offered pay-per-view services in what was supposed to be a free-to-air channel.
Calida added ABS-CBN violated the constitutional restriction on foreign ownership of mass media when it issued Philippine Depositary Receipts to foreign investors.
SC spokesperson Brian Keith Hosaka said the quo warranto case will again be taken up by the en banc on March 10.
“This is to give the justices time to go over the pleadings submitted by the parties, including the comments recently filed by the respondents,” Hosaka said. With a report from Moira Encina
