Palace on ABS-CBN: Boxing is over, ayuda available
The public should move on from the controversy stirred by lawmakers’ rejection of ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal bid, Malacañang said yesterday as the Duterte administration and the House of Representatives continued to draw flak over the shutdown of the broadcast giant.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the decision of the House legislative franchises committee, which has denied ABS-CBN a fresh franchise, should be respected.
“We regret it, too, but the boxing is over and it went through processes provided under the Constitution. We can’t do anything anymore. Let’s move on,” Roque said in Filipino at a press briefing.
Roque said Duterte respects the decision of the House panel and remains “neutral” on the issue.
“From the start, the President has been neutral about the issue involving ABS-CBN. He had resentments before but he has forgiven (them) and the committee on legislative franchises has decided,” the Palace spokesman said.
Duterte had accused ABS-CBN of peddling “garbage” stories about him during the 2016 election and chided the network for not airing his campaign commercials even if he had already paid for their slots.
Last December, Duterte said he would see to it that the broadcast firm would be “out.” ABS-CBN president and chief executive officer Carlo Katigbak apologized to Duterte at a Senate hearing last February but maintained that the network was not pushing a political agenda.
Roque claimed Duterte’s public threats against ABS-CBN did not affect the network’s franchise application.
“No, because the President is a forgiving person. He has forgiven ABSCBN publicly,” the Palace spokesman said.
“The people know that, especially those who are from Davao who were with him when he was mayor. If the President gets angry, he does not hold a grudge. He forgives. But despite that, Congress decided that way so let’s just respect it,” he added.
Roque also disputed the claim of Vice President Leni Robredo, who likened the rejection of ABS-CBN’s franchise to the closure of the network during the Marcos regime. He also denied that the denial of ABS-CBN’s franchise is a dictator’s move.
“With all due respect we disagree, but we do so vehemently. We know what happened during martial law. There was a franchise but it was shuttered. What happened now was the franchise expired and it was not renewed,” Roque said.
“They are saying that this issue is about the right to a free press. But if the right to a free press depends on a franchise, the provision of the Constitution should be followed and there should be a franchise coming from the Lower House,” he added.