MEDIA giant ABS-CBN Corp. maintained on Monday it has always complied with the laws governing its franchise and had secured all regulatory approvals for its operations.
In a statement after the Office of the Solicitor General filed a quo warranto case against it, the company said the allegations of the government lawyers “are without merit,” listing its defense against the case filed by the OSG.
The listed multimedia conglomerate said all its offerings, including KBO, are allowed under its franchise, and that its Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDRs) were “evaluated and approved” by securities regulator prior to their offering.
It further explained that its ownership of ABS-CBN Convergence is the similar track by which telco companies own their businesses, and that the share transfers were above board, as they are “fully compliant” with the Public Telecommunications Act.
KBO, it said, is one of the cheapest forms of entertainment in the country. The capital raised from the PDRs funded its services to “nearly 90 percent of the Philippines, and to our overseas Filipino workers all over the world.” It added that its telco arm helps policy-makers in improving Internet access in the country.
“We reiterate that everything we do is in accordance with the law. We did not violate the law. This case appears to be an attempt to deprive Filipinos of the services of ABS-CBN,” the statement read.
Monday saw the OSG filing a quo warranto case against the Lopez-led multimedia giant before the Supreme Court, asking it to revoke the already expiring franchise of ABS-CBN for allegedly violating its franchise.
The quo warranto filing drew controversy, as it comes while the House of Representatives is being pressured to call hearings on various proposals to renew ABS-CBN’s franchise, which expires in March. Some lawmakers said Solicitor General Jose Calida’s move infringed on Congress’s power to grant franchises.
In his “very urgent” motion, Calida alleged foreign investors “taking part” in the ownership of mass media, citing the Philippine Constitution as his reference. He also said the set-top box for digital television—TV Plus—as well as the KBO network were “not approved by the National Telecommunications Commission.”
President Duterte has publicly stated he wanted to remove the ABS-CBN franchise from the Lopezes since he took office on June 30, 2016, when he started launching a tirade of accusations against the television titan.
Despite this, solons have given assurances that the franchise hearing will proceed.
“The Senate, the House of Representatives and the Executive branch have assured the public that our franchise will be allowed to go through the proper renewal process in a fair manner. To that end, the filing of the quo warranto case is ill-timed given that Congress has already resumed its session,” ABS-CBN’s statement read.
Time and again, media groups have cried foul against the Duterte administration’s “Marcosian game plan” to derail the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN Corp., calling it a blatant attack to suppress press freedom marred with “putrid motives.” The Duterte administration insists the case has nothing to do with press freedom.
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/02/11/abs-cbn-weve-complied-with-all-laws-on-franchise-quo-warranto-filing-ill-timed/
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