Thursday, June 25, 2020

Lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc on Wednesday welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court to dismiss the quo warranto petition filed by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) against embattled broadcast giant ABS-CBN.

"Bilang authors ng pagbibigay ng franchise sa ABS-CBN ay we welcome this decision of the Supreme Court," Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Zarate said in a virtual press conference.
"Sana the Congress will take this as cue para pabilisin na din yung resolution ng pending application ng ABS-CBN sa kanilang franchise," he added.

According to Zarate, the ongoing House hearings on the ABS-CBN franchise issue have already been too long yet it has not shown any evidence to warrant the non-renewal of the network's franchise.

"Halos lahat ng issues ay binusisi na rito at nakita naman natin bilang authors na at this point walang kadahilanan para hindi ma-renew ang prangkisa ng ABS-CBN," he said.

The Supreme Court had dismissed the OSG's quo warranto petition for mootness, as ABS-CBN's franchise already expired last May 4, but the case against ABS-CBN Convergence remains.

ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro said the OSG's "black magic" did not work on the Supreme Court's decision on the petition.

Like Zarate, Castro urged her fellow lawmakers to fast-track the hearings on the ABS-CBN franchise issue.

"Nakita naman natin na wala naman unconstitutional doon sa pag-ere ng ABS-CBN. Bilang author at kasama sa mga sponsor, talagang isusulong natin," she said.

For her part, Gabriela Women's Party Representative Arlene Brosas said that the dismissal of the quo warranto petition only shows that the filing of the said petition "was just mere performance to further threaten ABS-CBN."

"Kung para sa Supreme Court ito ay moot and academic, para sa amin sa Gabriela Women's Party, [ito ay] senseless at absurd," she said.

Likewise, the dismissal of the petition is also a sign that lawmakers should already act on the bill seeking to grant ABS-CBN another 25-year franchise.
"We urge our fellow lawmakers to heed the call of the Filipino people to renew the ABS-CBN franchise," she said.

The next hearing on the ABS-CBN franchise issue is set on Monday next week.

Source:   —  LDF,GMA News


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