PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday he will block the renewal of the franchise of broadcast giant ABS-CBN, which he accuses of estafa for accepting payment for his campaign ads but not airing them during the elections.
He said he will not renew ABS-CBN’s franchise which will expire on March 30, 2020.
“[The franchise] has been there for 25 years. The law says it’s okay only if you adhere to journalistic standards,” Duterte told reporters. “What did you do to us? Estafa, swindling, not only me but Chiz Escudero, many of us. Son of a bitch, you collected outright then you commit estafa.”
Duterte said he will be blocking the attempts to renew the franchise of the Lopez family-owned media giant.
“So I will file a complaint. Congress, no need to renew it. But to operate is something else, so I will point this out, your garbage, then we’ll see,” he said.
“If ganoon ka kaano, you’re engaged in swindling for all we know ilang kompanya dito na hindi n’yo pinalabas. If you operate, ABS-CBN, tapos manloloko lang kayo ng tao, mag-swindling kayo, I have to stop you, ‘di ba?” he added.
Duterte also accuses ABS-CBN of biased and inaccurate reporting.
Two bills were introduced in the 16th Congress for the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise granted in March 1995: One by Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao, filed in September 2014, and another by Baguio Rep. Nicasio M. Aliping Jr., filed in December of the same year but none were laid before former President Benigno Aquino III’s table.
The proposed bills would renew ABS-CBN’s right to operate TV and radio broadcasting stations in the Philippines through microwave, satellite or whatever means, including the use of new technologies in television and radio systems.
Recently, Duterte signed into law Republic Act 10925 extending the franchise of rival GMA Network Inc. for another 25 years.
Duterte also slammed the Philippine Daily Inquirer, this time singling out columnist John Nery who is also editor-in-chief of Inquirer.net.
After exposing alleged back taxes in their Dunkin’ Donut franchise, Duterte scored the Prietos who own the Inquirer and vowed to recover a 2.9-hectare prime property in Makati owned by the government.
The property owned by the National Power Corp. includes the Premier Cinema, Mile Long Arcade, Makati Creekside Building, the Gallery Building and Sunvar Plaza were developed in a sub-lease agreement with Sunvar Realty Development Corp., the property arm of the Prieto and Rufino families.
“Ang gusto kong tanong sa inyong mga crusader na mga newspapers, bakit sila corrupt din? Answer me?” Yung Mile Long na yan, sinong may-ari niyan? Yung mga Rufino… who is Rufino? Married to Prieto,” Duterte said.
“Itong Mile Long na yan, sinong may-ari? I assure you, after all of these things here, I will start to recover property. Including yung Inquirer na yan—the loudest of them all. Crusader kuno. Yun pala, crony rin. E kay Romualdez yan e. Philip Romualdez, he’s the husband of Prieto.”
Benjamin Philip Romualdez, who is chairman of the Manila Standard, is married to Alexandra Prieto, who is president of the Inquirer. Romualdez, however, has no interest in the Inquirer and the Mile Long property.
In 2015 the Makati Regional Trial Court ruled in favor of the government and ordered Sunvar to vacate the property and pay the government P478.2 million in back rentals and an additional P3.2 million monthly rental until it leaves the property.