Gamaliel Cordoba, key figure in ABS-CBN shutdown, is new COA chairperson
MANILA, Philippines — Gamaliel Cordoba, who headed the National Telecommunications Commission when it ordered ABS-CBN Corp. to shut down its free TV operations after its legislative franchise expired last May 5, 2020, has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Commission on Audit.
Supreme Court spokesperson Brian Hosaka said Cordoba took his oath before Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo on Friday afternoon.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. picked Cordoba as Jose Calida’s replacement at the helm of the independent constitutional office in charge of checking and auditing the use of funds and properties owned by the Philippine government under its agencies.
Calida, the solicitor general under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte who also led the charge against ABS-CBN, resigned without any reason being disclosed, although he has been absent from congressional hearings on the COA’s proposed budget for 2023 due to health reasons.
INTERAKSYON: Does Calida have a hand in ABS-CBN shutdown?
State auditors make sure all the financial statements submitted by government offices are within the public sector accounting standards and all expenses are accounted for, providing annual audit reports to the president and Congress.
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The NTC under Cordoba’s leadership issued ABS-CBN an order to stop broadcasting on free TV when its franchise expired, despite previous assurances to lawmakers that it will allow the network to continue operating through a provisional authority.
While lawmakers and the Department of Justice then headed by now Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra found no issue with the NTC giving ABS-CBN a provisional authority, Calida did and threatened graft charges against officials who would give such a license.
With the threat of graft charges dangling over their heads, NTC officials backtracked on their commitment to lawmakers and issued a cease and desist order against ABS-CBN.
READ: NTC says ABS-CBN case 'became so popular' it had to set aside precedents
Even after a House of Representatives panel denied ABS-CBN's application for a fresh franchise over supposed violations that have been cleared by several government agencies, the NTC under Cordoba continued attempts to block business moves by the network.
In June, the NTC restricted blocktime arrangements and mergers, a move that coincided with reported talks between ABS-CBN and TV5 Network Inc. on such deals.
Moments after a landmark deal between ABS-CBN and TV5 was announced, Cordoba came on state-run radio to say that the Lopez-led broadcaster has to clear unspecified violations before proceeding with its investment in the Pangilinan-led network.
The NTC under Cordoba also led the charge against more than 20 websites, including alternative news outlet Bulatlat, for being “affiliated to and are supporting terrorists," which led to the blocking of these sites.
Bulatlat has since secured a court order stopping the implementation of the NTC memorandum blocking its website.
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