MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte maintained his neutral stance ahead of the House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Franchises impending voting on whether to grant ABS-CBN Corp. a fresh 25-year legislative franchise.
Duterte is leaving it up to the members of Lower House, which was the one mandate to provide franchises to networks, according to his spokesperson Harry Roque.
“Neutral ang Presidente, respetuhin natin ang kapangyarihan ng Mababang Kapulungan,” Roque said in a virtual press conference on Tuesday.
“The congressmen must vote according to their conscience,” he reiterated.
The House Committee on Legislative Franchises and the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability have finished their joint hearing on Monday evening and is set to vote on the network’s franchise renewal on Thursday.
During the Monday hearing, the ABS-CBN Integrated News and Current Affairs insisted that the broadcasting network always keeps its biases in check and it corrects any errors as needed.
“As journalists, we strive to keep biases in check and to report on newsworthy events, persons, and issues in an accurate, fair, and balanced manner,” ABS-CBN INCA head Regina Reyes said.
“Hindi po kami perpekto. Wala pong news organization na perpekto. Sa kabila ng mga pagi-ingat at pagbabantay, inaamin po namin na nagkamali rin po kami. Gayunpaman, agad din po kaming umaaksyon,” she added.
This was after former Health Secretary and now Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin lambasted ABS-CBN’s news and current affairs team for its coverage of public health issues, particularly on Dengvaxia.
According to Garin, some of the resource persons tapped by the network to speak on public health issues were not even health experts. She cited that officials from the Public Attorney’s Office were featured to speak on the issue of Dengvaxia.
“Halatang halata na ginawa ang inyong broadcast network, lalapit lang sa empleyado niyo para makapasok. Do you look at this as responsible journalism?” the Ilongga lawmaker asked.
The ABS-CBN has been off the air since the National Telecommunications Commission issued a cease and desist order against the network following the expiration of its franchise on May 4./PN
