ABS-CBN admits also failing to air 2016 campaign ads of other candidates, not just Duterte

ABS-CBN president and CEO Carlo Katigbak admitted that the network was not able to air the political advertisements not only of President Rodrigo Duterte, but also of other candidates from various political parties during the campaign period of the 2016 elections.

During the continuation of the House joint panel hearings on the ABS-CBN franchise issue on Monday, Cavite Representative Elpidio Barzaga Jr. quizzed Katigbak on Duterte's political advertisement in the 2016 polls, which ABS-CBN failed to air in the provinces.

The lawmaker asked if aside from Duterte, ABS-CBN also failed to air the political advertisements of other candidates for senator, vice president, and president in the provinces.

Katigbak said that for the 2016 elections, they also were not able to air the political advertisements of former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, standard bearer of the Liberal Party.

He added that they also failed to air the ads of some vice presidential candidates, including former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, former Senator Bongbong Marcos, former Senator now Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, and even winning candidate Vice President Leni Robredo.

For senatorial candidates, the political advertisements of now Senator Francis Tolentino, Senator Francis Pangilinan, Senator Leila de Lima, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Senator Ralph Recto also did not air, Katigbak said.

Barzaga asked Katigbak about the policy of ABS-CBN in airing political advertisements. He said the complaint they received was that ABS-CBN would accept the payments for the ads even though they do not have sufficient airtime for them to be broadcast.

"Sa pagkakaalam ko, tinatanggap ng mga ahente namin, kasi may mga request na nanggaling sa mga ahensya na tanggapin at kung sakaling may umatras or hindi matuloy ay ipasok na lang nila yung telecast order nila," Katigbak told Barzaga.

During a Senate hearing in February, Katigbak apologized to Duterte over the non-airing of his political advertisement.

Duterte accepted Katigbak's apology, and vowed that he would not interfere with the franchise renewal process pending in Congress.

Katigbak, on Monday's House hearing, admitted that they already knew that Duterte's advertisement did not air as early as May 4, only days after the telecast order for the said advertisement was put in place.

Barzaga asked Katigbak why it took them four years before apologizing to the President and during a Senate hearing on their franchise issue at that.

"Inamin namin na delayed yung pag-issue ng refund check. Inamin namin na delayed yung pag-issue ng cheke para sa refund," Katigbak said.

"Siguro dapat mas maaga na namin... Tama po kayo, dapat siguro mas maaga na kaming humingi ng paumanhin sa Presidente. Yun lang, nakahanap kami ng pagkakataon dahil pinag-uusapan na rin ang issue tungkol sa refund para sa hindi pag-ere ng ads," he added.

The House joint panel has wrapped up its deliberations on the ABS-CBN franchise issue after 12 lengthy hearings.

The next hearing is set on Thursday where lawmakers will make a summation of the issues discussed. — RSJ, GMA News