The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday morning (Feb. 18) acted on the plea of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) for a gag order on the quo warranto case by ordering ABS-CBN Corporation and its subsidiary, ABS-CBN Convergence, Inc., to submit its comment within 5 days.
Solicitor General Jose Calida earlier filed on the same day a very urgent motion to gag ABS-CBN on the quo warranto case against the network’s franchise. The OSG told the SC that the television firm is engaged in propaganda to influence public opinion. A gag order prevents both parties in the case and their representatives to comment on or discuss the merits of the case, particularly through the media, and directly to the public. If so ordered by the court, a gag order would put ABS-CBN in a dilemma because its journalists have to report on the issue.
Calida’s quo warranto petition asks the High Court to revoke ABS-CBN’s franchise based on 3 grounds: offering pay-per-view services+without permit; using the franchise of a company it acquired without congressional approval; and ceding foreign control by issuing Philippine Depositary Receipts or PDRs.
