- ABS-CBN President Carlo Katigbak finally issued a statement.
ABS-CBN President and Chief Executive Officer Carlo Katigbak finally spoke up about the battle the network is facing.
In a statement posted on ABS-CBN social media platforms, Katigbak, the “father” of the 11 thousand strong employees of the Kapamilya network thanked all their supporters for the unwavering support for ABS-CBN.
Narito ang mensahe ni ABS-CBN Corp. President and CEO Carlo L. Katigbak. pic.twitter.com/DhIOPyNjII
— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) February 20, 2020
“Para sa mga napakaraming nagpahayag ng suporta sa ABS-CBN, maraming maraming salamat po,” he said.
Katigbak said the outpouring of support is making them stronger amidst the dark times they are currently facing.
“Ang mga pahayag ninyo ang nagbibigay sa amin ng tibay ng loob at lakas, lalo na sa oras ng matinding pagsubok,” Katigbak continued.
He also asked everyone to pray for ABS-CBN in the coming days and vowed that they will continue to fight for the opportunity to continue serving the Filipino people.
“Asahan niyo po na ipaglalaban namin ang pagkakataong ituloy ang serbisyo sa inyo. Sa mga darating na araw hinihingi po namin ang inyong panalangin na magpatuloy ang ating pagsasama.”
In ending, Katigbak said that in ABS-CBN they believe that Family is Forever.
“Sa ABS-CBN po, naniniwala kami na Family is Forever.”
This is the first time that the ABS-CBN President and CEO has publicly spoken about the issues being faced by the network.
Aside from franchise renewal, another issue facing the Kapamilya network was the recent filling of quo warranto petition by the OSG at the Supreme Court.
Solicitor General Jose Calida wants to declare ABS-CBN’s current franchise void for allegedly violating their franchise law by introducing the pay-per-view channel KBO on their ABS-CBN TV Plus. Calida also accused the company of violating the constitutional provision on foreign ownership when they sell PDRs.
ABS-CBN’s franchise is set to expire on March 30, 2020. However, the 11 franchise renewal bills are still pending in Congress.
The Senate meanwhile is set to start its hearing on the alleged violations of ABS-CBN on Monday, February 24.
Here’s ABS-CBN President and CEO Carlo Katigbak’s full message.
Mensahe ni ABS-CBN Corp. President and CEO Carlo L. Katigbak. | Pebrero 20, 2020 pic.twitter.com/6RxjIYLVBT
— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) February 20, 2020