NTC seeks DOJ opinion on ABS-CBN franchise

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has sought the Department of Justice's (DOJ) advice on whether or not ABS-CBN can continue operating if its franchise expires before Congress could act on bills for its renewal.

The DOJ received the NTC's request for a legal opinion last Tuesday afternoon and hopes to reply by next week, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Thursday.

"The main question is whether or not ABS-CBN may continue operating after the lapse of the franchise period, pending action by the Congress on the franchise renewal bills," he said in a message to reporters.

Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete said the department's legal staff are evaluating the NTC's request.

The broadcast network's legislative franchise will expire on March 30.

Calling the matter "not that urgent," Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said the House of Representatives would discuss it "possibly in May if we have cooler heads."

He said the company may operate until 2022 even if its license lapses next month.

The broadcast network has around 11,000 employees.

Meanwhile, Solicitor General Jose Calida has asked the Supreme Court (SC) to forfeit ABS-CBN's franchise over what he called the company's "highly abusive practices," such as operating a pay-per-view channel on free-to-air signals and issuing Philippine Depositary Receipts to foreigners.

The SC has ordered ABS-CBN to comment on the petition for quo warranto, the same action Calida initiated against then-chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. She was ousted in 2018 in a manner that critics of the landmark ruling called unconstitutional.

Calida has also asked the SC to issue a gag order on all the parties in the quo warranto case, alleging ABS-CBN “engaged in propaganda" in its reports and "commentaries" following the filing of the petition.

The SC has also asked ABS-CBN to comment on the motion for a gag order. — BM, GMA News