House franchise panel feeling pressure from Duterte, ABS-CBN —vice chair

The vice chairperson of the House Committee on Legislative Franchises on Wednesday said they are feeling pressure from both sides in connection with rift between President Rodrigo Duterte and broadcast network ABS-CBN.

“We are being applied pressure from all sides by no less than the President. Inaamin namin 'yan. Malaking pressure 'yan dahil Presidente ng Republika ng Pilipinas,” said Isabela Rep. Antonio Albano in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV.

“Pabayaan niyo naman sana kami. We're not only being pressured by the President, but even ABS-CBN has been running stories,” he added.

Albano, however, said there was no direct pressure from the President.

“In fairness to the President, he never called any of us congressmen, and never issued any marching orders to tell us what to do," he said.

Albano said pressure from the President is coming from his pronouncements about his paid election campaign advertisements for the 2016 elections that were allegedly not aired by ABS-CBN.

He, meanwhile, asked ABS-CBN to be “careful” on the “wordings” when reporting about the issues of their franchise renewal on news programs.

“You are actually applying pressure on us also which is actually bad for our Congress as a whole” he said.

According to Albano, the House of Representatives is doing its job in connection with ABS-CBN's franchise renewal, just not publicizing it. “Let me assure you…all the members of the Congress are working hard,” he said.

Duterte had consistently threatened to cut ABS-CBN's franchise, as he earlier claimed the network did not air his paid political advertisements during the 2016 election campaign.

ABS-CBN’s franchise will expire on March 30. The bills seeking for its renewal have been pending in the House since August 2019.

Recently, government lawyers led Solicitor General Jose Calida filed a quo warranto petition for the forfeiture of ABS-CBN's franchise for its alleged highly abusive practices.

ABS-CBN maintained that it did not violate any law. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA News