At franchise hearing, ABS-CBN scolded for airing election ad against Duterte
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Christopher “Bong”
In 2016, the country’s top broadcaster aired a negative political advertisement showing children reacting to some of Duterte’s controversial remarks, including his comment about the rape-slay of an Australian missionary and his cursing of Pope Francis.
The attack advertisement, dubbed by Go as “black propaganda,”
"How did it become a political ad? Are you promoting a candidate here? Or are you destroying a candidate? I just want to know what the priority of the network is. Which is more important for you? Black propaganda or political ads?" Go, Duterte’s de facto spokesperson, asked officials of the media company present in the hearing.
Go: Ad meant to 'turn tide' vs Duterte
Go, who
A day after ABS-CBN began airing the advertisement, Duterte’s running mate, now House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, secured a temporary restraining order from a Taguig court.
The court ruled that it “cannot allow minor children to
"Hindi
(The president’s grievances against the network are not shallow. He
He added: “The president is not vindictive
ABS-CBN, whose legislative franchise is expiring in May, has been at the receiving end of many of Duterte’s verbal attacks.
The president has repeatedly threatened he would block the renewal of the broadcast network’s franchise. In December last year, he urged the owners of ABS-CBN to just sell the company.
‘No political agenda’
The president,
Carlo Katigbak, ABS-CBN president and chief executive officer, said a network committee had allowed the video to air because
The Omnibus Election Code recognizes that an "election campaign
The Fair Elections Act, meanwhile, holds that "
Most Duterte ads were aired
Katigbak said the national political advertisements of Duterte amounting to P117 million
But some of his local ads
He said the network had 19 minutes per hour for airing national ads and just two minutes an hour for local ads, which
"Of P65 million worth of spots, we failed to air P7 million worth," Katigbak said.
The CEO of the network said ABS-CBN refunded about P4 million to Duterte's camp, which
Katigbak also apologized to Duterte for offending him in the past but maintained that the network does not push its own political agenda.
“We are sorry if we offended the president. That was not the intention of the network,” Katigbak told the Senate panel.
He added: “[ABS-CBN] does not and will not have its own political agenda.”
The Senate committee on public services is looking into the renewal of the legislative franchise of ABS-CBN and the network’s supposed violations Monday.
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