Tinawag ni Speaker Alan Cayetano na "ambush" ang ginawang pagpapalabas ng National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) cease and desist order (CDO) sa ABS-CBN Corpporation, sa halip na ang inaasahang nilang Provisional Authority (PA) para hindi magsara ang naturang network.
Sa isang pahayag nitong Biyernes, kinondena ni Cayetano ang NTC at Office of the Solicitor General dahil sa ginawang pakikialam umano sa kapangyarihan ng Kongreso na magkaloob ng prangkisa.
Matatandaan na nagbabala ang SolGen Jose Calida sa NTC na posibleng maharap ito sa kasong graft kapag nagbigay ng PA sa ABS-CBN habang nakabinbin sa Kamara ang panukalang batas na magre-renew sana sa prangkisa ng naturang network na napaso nitong Mayo 4.
Nauna nang tiniyak ng NTC sa mga kongresista na bibigyan nito ng PA ang ABS-CBN pero CDO ang kanilang inihain nitong Martes, dahilan para mapilitang magsara ang network.
“Last Tuesday we were all ambushed by the NTC. Despite their assurance given under oath, the legal opinion of the Department of Justice, a resolution from the Senate, and several verbal and written assurances given to Congress…the NTC appears to have succumbed to pressure from the Solicitor General, and issued a cease and desist order to ABS-CBN,” sabi ni Cayetano sa pahayag.
“To our critics, in and outside of the House, you are free to say what you will. As we are free to respond in our own way. As for the sudden flip-flopping of the NTC and the unconstitutional meddling by the Solicitor General in the business of Congress, I promise you—there will be a reckoning,” dagdag ng lider ng Kamara.
Ginawa ni Calida ang babala sa NTC isang araw bago napaso ang prangkisa ng ABS-CBN.
“While this [cease and desist order] unnecessarily complicates the issue, it does not change the fact that the exclusive constitutional authority to grant, deny, extend, revoke, or modify broadcast franchises; including having the primary jurisdiction to make an initial determination whether an application for a legislative franchise should be granted or denied - still resides in Congress, and Congress alone,” paliwanag ni Cayetano, na isa ring abogado.
“So for those asking what Congress will do, the answer is simple: our job. The Committee on Legislative Franchises will conduct hearings in a manner that is consistent with what we have always said. That is - fair, impartial, thorough, and comprehensive,” patuloy niya.
Nauna nang sinabi ni Calida na hindi dapat sisihin ang NTC dahil sinusunod lang nito ang batas.
"Without a valid and subsisting franchise from Congress, the NTC cannot allow any broadcasting entity from operating in the country," anang opisyal.
"The bill renewing ABS-CBN’s franchise has been pending in Congress since 2016," dagdag pa ng SolGen. "The question we should be asking is, why hasn’t Congress acted on it? Who is at fault here?"
Pero depensa ni Cayetano, hindi kasalanan ng Kongreso na hindi kaagad naipasa ang prankisa ng ABS-CBN.
“We would have wanted to do this in an orderly manner. But what we want and what we have to deal with are two different things. So this Congress has no choice but to once again rise to the occasion and fix the mess others made,” depensa ng lider ng Kamara.
Nitong Miyerkules, ibinato ni Buhay party-list Representative Lito Atienza ang sisi sa sigalot na nangyari sa ABS-CBN kay Cayetano.--FRJ, GMA News
