De Lima on denial of ABS-CBN's franchise: Tinokhang

Senator Leila de Lima on Saturday said ABS-CBN Corporation suffered the same fate of those who allegedly died in the government's war on drugs after its application for a franchise was denied by a House panel.

"Tinokhang. Ganito ang ginawa sa pagpatay sa prangkisa ng ABS-CBN. Walang laban, walang katarungan, walang konsensya!" the senator said in a dispatch sent from her detention cell in Camp Crame.

De Lima likened the denial of franchise to Oplan Tokhang, the police's former strategy of going to houses of drug suspects to ask them to surrender. Some suspects however died in alleged gunfights with authorities.

The House Committee on Legislative Franchises on Friday voted to deny the franchise application of ABS-CBN Corporation.

The panel adopted the Technical Working Group’s (TWG) Committee Resolution recommending the denial of the network's franchise application through 70 'yes' votes, 11 'no' votes, and three who did not participate.

Based on the TWG report, ABS-CBN violated its old franchise, described by the panel as a privilege, because of the following reasons: its former Chairman Eugenio Lopez III was both a Filipino and American citizen, the issuance of Philippine Depositary Receipts supposedly favoring foreigners, inappropriate program content, meddling in politics, tax avoidance schemes; less than exemplary labor practices, among others.

The TWG also said ABS-CBN cannot invoke the freedom of the press in justifying its franchise application.

Malacañang on Friday accepted the decision of the House of Representatives legislative franchises committee to deny the franchise renewal application of ABS-CBN Corp.

“Much as we want to work with the aforesaid media network, we have to abide by the resolution of the House committee,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement. —KG, GMA News