Calida attends House hearing on ABS-CBN franchise

After skipping the previous hearing, Solicitor General Jose Calida on Monday attended the joint House Committee on Legislative Franchises and on Good Government and Public Accountability inquiry into the ABS-CBN franchise issue.

Calida is attending the hearing via teleconferencing, while some members of the joint panels and other resource persons are physically present at the House Plenary Hall for the meeting.

House good government panel chair Jonathan Sy-Alvarado said Calida will be given an opportunity during the meeting why he should not be cited in contempt for his alleged “meddling” in the granting of a provisional authority to operate to ABS-CBN.

“Magpapaliwanag si SolGen Calida ng kanyang pahayag kung bakit hindi natin siya dapat mai-contempt dahil sa kanilang pagpayo o sabi nga natin noong unang araw ay pag-bully sa NTC (National Telecommunications Commission),” he said.

As of this writing, Calida has yet to make his remark.

Calida earlier wrote to House legislative franchises panel chair Franz Alvarez declining the invitation to attend the hearing on May 26, saying that the issues to be discussed in the hearing are also raised in petitions pending before the Supreme Court.

He explained that the sub judice rule prevents him from “sharing views and recommendations” in connection with the pending petitions.

Earlier this year, Calida filed a petition for quo warranto asking the Supreme Court to forfeit ABS-CBN's then-existing legislative franchise.

He also warned NTC commissioners that they could face graft charges if they would give ABS-CBN a provisional authority.

The NTC had committed to the House legislative franchise panel in its March 10 hearing that it would grant a provisional authority to ABS-CBN.

However, come May 5, a day after ABS-CBN's franchise lapsed, a cease and desist order was issued to the network instead of a provisional authority to operate, prompting the company to shut down its broadcast operations. — RSJ, GMA News