- Pres. Rodrigo Duterte doesn’t want to shut down ABS-CBN.
Malacanang spokesman Salvador Panelo claims President Rodrigo Duterte does not want to shut down ABS-CBN.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel’s Carmina Constantino, Panelo said it is not within Duterte’s power to shut down the media giant. Panelo reiterated that the Congress has the sole jurisdiction in granting or denying franchise to a media entity.
“The president repeatedly said the other night to me that he will never intrude into the power of Congress to grant or renew. If he has some axe to grind personally against ABS-CBN then he will sue them for it,” Panelo said
“But certainly he will not shut down, because in the first place he cannot, ABS-CBN. That’s his position,” he added
Panelo’s remarks came after the franchise renewal issue of ABS-CBN reached international attention.
Arab-based news channel Al-Jazeera English devoted the whole episode of their Inside Story program discussing the complexities of the ABS-CBN issue.
The show featured resource persons from the Philippines Atty. Harry Roque, Political Analyst Richard Heydarian, and UP CMC Professor Danilo Arao.
Former Malacanang Spokesman Roque believed the quo warranto petition of the Solicitor General would not succeed since it is a form of restraint that infringes press freedom.
“My prediction is, because it is in the nature of prior restraint, it will not prosper. The jurisprudence in the Philippines recognizes completely freedom of the press. Governments may try to suppress it but the courts will never uphold any infringement on freedom of the press,” he said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjiquVusNtc
Arao, however, warned that the Supreme Court is now perceived to be controlled by the Duterte administration. He said we may have the law protecting freedom of the press but reality speaks that we have become one of the most dangerous places for journalists.
“We have to ask ourselves who controls the Supreme Court right now. On paper, we have laws protecting freedom of speech and other basic freedoms. We may be the freest press in Asia, or one of the freest in Asia but we’re one of the most dangerous places in the world to practice journalism.” Arao said.
Aside from fighting for the renewal of their franchise in Congress, ABS-CBN is also faced by the quo warranto petition by the Office of the Solicitor General.
Just recently, SolGen Jose Calida also asked the Supreme Court to issue a gag order against ABS-CBN and its representatives, saying news materials and articles published by the Kapamilya network tend to elicit public sympathy which could sway judgment on the case.
ABS-CBN on their part maintained that they did not violate any laws and that all issues raised in the quo warranto petition are all authorized by necessary permits from the government.
