Give Calida a chance to speak at ABS-CBN hearings –Cayetano

Published May 26, 2020 05:17 PM By ERWIN COLCOL,GMA News

Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano asked members of the House of Representatives to be "lenient" with Solicitor General Jose Calida and allow him to speak in the next hearing on the ABS-CBN franchise issue.

This, even as the government's top lawyer skipped the joint proceedings of the House Committees on Legislative Franchises and on Good Government and Public Accountability on the matter on Tuesday.

Calida, earlier in the day, wrote to House legislative franchises panel chair Franz Alvarez declining the invitation to attend the hearing

, saying that the issues to be discussed in the hearing were also raised in petitions pending before the Supreme Court.

He explained that the sub judice rule prevented him from "sharing views and recommendations" on the franchise.

Calida's attendance in the hearing caught the attention of House Good Government panel chair Jonathan Sy-Alvarado, who said that the Solicitor General should be enjoined to attend their next hearings and "explain his side why he should not be held in contempt."

Alvarez then instructed the committee secretariat to write a letter to Calida enjoining him to attend their succeeding hearings, otherwise, they would "resort to compulsory processes."

But Cayetano, later in the hearing, asked the joint committees to still give Calida a chance to make an opening statement or at least give a summary of his allegations against ABS-CBN.

"[It is] very clear that the champion of exposing the alleged violations of ABS-CBN is Solicitor General. That doesn't exclude the other champions who are here today and other oppositors who have been interviewed on specific alleged violations. But si SolGen ang nakapag-put together nung allegations, nung proof, nung ebidensya, nung witnesses," Cayetano said.

"[Let's] extend him the courtesy na makapagprepare din siya ng opening statement but at least a summary on the allegations sa ABS so that to be fair to our executives from ABS-CBN at sa kanilang mga empleyado na masagot naman nila punto por punto," he added.

Following Cayetano's urging, Alvarado instructed the committee secretariat to "be more lenient" to Calida and ask him to attend their next hearing.

The next hearing on the ABS-CBN franchise was set for Monday, June 1.

The joint House panels began hearing the bills granting another 25-year franchise to ABS-CBN after the House leadership decided to drop the measure that would have given the network a provisional franchise until October 31, 2020.

Cayetano, himself an author of the provisional franchise bill, said the issue on the ABS-CBN franchise has become "so divisive" and was taking up the time even as there were more pressing matters to discuss such as the COVID-19 response measures.

The Speaker, however, vowed to have fair and comprehensive hearings on the issue at the committee level. — DVM, GMA News

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