- Sec. Guevarra said no discussions about Quo Warranto vs ABS-CBN in cabinet meetings.
- Office of the Solicitor General is set to file quo warranto petition against ABS-CBN.
Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo Guevarra denied a report that the alleged plan of the Solicitor General to file a quo warranto petition against ABS-CBN had been discussed in a cabinet meeting.
In a statement, Guevarra said although there was casual talk about ABS-CBN’s franchise, the petition for quo warranto was never discussed at all.
“The renewal or non-renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise was casually mentioned in a Cabinet meeting several months ago, but the filing of a quo warranto petition has never been discussed at all,” he said.
According to a Manila Times article, the Office of Solicitor General is set to ask the Supreme Court to revoke ABS-CBN’s franchise via qua warranto petition.
In the report, an unimpeachable source of Manila Times said Solgen Jose Calida will lead the team of government lawyers in filing the petition.
Under Rule 66 of the Rules of Civil Procedure, Quo Warranto petition is an “action for the usurpation of a public office, position or franchise.”
It can be filed against a person who “usurps, intrudes into, or unlawfully holds or exercises a public office, position or franchise,” a “public officer who does or suffers an act which, by the provision of law, constitutes a ground for the forfeiture of his office,” or “an association which acts as a corporation within the Philippines without being legally incorporated or without lawful authority so to act.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrTqxEoQiMk
ABS-CBN’s franchise is set to expire in March 2020.
Currently, the 9 bills filed by 11 Congressman has yet to be tackled in Congress.
However, House Committee on Legislative Franchises Franz Alvares says they will start conducting hearings for the bill once congress resumes its session on January 20.
