The Office of the Solicitor General is said to be planning to file a motion for consideration at the Supreme Court with regards to the junked quo warranto petition against ABS-CBN.
The OSG said it will consider filing a motion for reconsideration “if necessary, given the constitutional issue on foreign ownership” which they raised in the quo warranto case after receiving a copy of the recent Supreme Court decision.
On Tuesday, June 23, the Supreme Court en banc dismissed Calida’s quo warranto petition against ABS-CBN for being moot and academic.
“I was able to confirm with Chief Justice Peralta that the Supreme Court dismissed today during their En Banc meeting the Quo Warranto petition filed by the Solicitor General against ABS CBN Corporation on the ground of mootness,” said Supreme Court spokesperson Brian Hosaka.
In February, the Solicitor General sought to nullify ABS-CBN’s franchise over allegations of a constitutional violation with regards to its PDR offerings and TV Plus’ pay per view channel KBO.
ABS-CBN’s franchise however expired on May 4 prior to the Supreme Court’s decision.
Meanwhile, ABS-CBN journalist Atty. Mike Navallo explained the decision rendered by the Supreme Court.
Navallo explained that the quo warranto’s dismissal through the basis of moot and academic simply means that the Supreme Court justices deemed it unnecessary to discuss or take an action on Calida’s petition simply because the subject for the petition no longer exists which is the expired ABS-CBN franchise.
“Kapag nagdismiss ang Korte Suprema on the basis na moot and academic, ibig sabihin hindi pa nito tinitingnan yung merit mismo ng kaso. Ibig sabihin kung meron bang paglabag, meron bang mga violation dahil tinitingnan lang nya kaya ba natin itong tingnan. Tatanggapin ba natin itong kasong ito kumbaga nandun pa lang sya sa hindi naman nating sasabihin preliminary pero yun ung isa sa pinakaunang unang chinecheck,” he said.
“Kapag sinabing moot and academic ibig sabihin wala na yung tinatawag justiceable controversy.
“Ibig sabihin wala nang kailangan pang talakayin pa yung Korte Suprema at pagdesisyunan pa dahil yung tatalakayin dapat ay halimbawa franchise ng ABS-CBN na paso na. So ang gustong mangyari sana ni Solicitor General Jose Calida ay ipawalang bisa yung prangkisa ng ABS-CBN dahil may ilang paglabag umano sa konstitusyon at sa probisyon ng prangkisa nito.
“Pero dahil nga napaso na ang prangkisa ng ABS-CBN noong Mayo 4, wala nang dapat pang iinvalidate kasi ang gusto talagang mangyari ni Solicitor General Jose Calida ipagwalang bisa, eh ano ngayon ang ipapawalang bisa mo eh wala na yung prangkisa paso na,” he added.
