Bong Go Questions Airing Of Anti-Duterte Ad During ABS-CBN Franchise Hearing
ABS-CBN – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s former aide Bong Go questioned ABS-CBN officials why they decided to air anti-Duterte ads during the 2016 elections.
On Monday, February 24, the Senate started the hearing on the ABS-CBN network’s franchise renewal and its alleged violations. Previously, Senator Grace Poe said she wasn’t to “scrutinize the qualification of those who are applying for a franchise.”
Weeks before the franchise of the media network expires, Solicitor General Jose Calida filed a petition to cancel the company’s franchise before the Supreme Court. He also wanted a gag order against the network.
In a previous article, ABS-CBN said SolGen Jose Calida’s gag order plea will not only violate press freedom, but it will also deprive the Filipinos of the vital source of information.
“The sub judice rule should not be applied to impair, through prior restraint, the fundamental freedoms of speech and of the press that serve as bedrocks of a democratic society,” it said.
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go question the media company’s decision to air anti-Duterte ads during the 2016 elections during the Senate hearing on Monday. Based on a report from ABS-CBN, the advertisement was paid for by Senator Antonio Trillanes.
The video shows some of the President’s controversial remarks. “Paano ito nagging political ad? Ano ba ang priority ninyo? Black propaganda?” he asked the tv network’s officials.
“This is very troublesome. Media networks are supposed to be impartial… Kung nagawa ito sa isang kandidato sa pagka-presidente, paano pa sa isang ordinaryong mamamayan, ordinaryong Pilipino lamang?” he added.
According to the report, Duterte’s former aide Bong Go said the ads “maligned then-presidential candidate Duterte for the purpose of destroying his reputation.”
“Nasaktan ang presidente, nababoy ang presidente… Hindi vindictive ang pangulo but someone clearly went overboard with the airing of this black propaganda…”
“Kung ganito na maaaring magsama-sama ang mga partido para pabagsakin ang isang tao… Tama po ang pangulo na labanan ang mga elistista at oligarkiya a naghahari sa ating bansa,” he added.
Based on the report, a day after the anti-Duterte ad was aired, Alan Peter Cayetano filed a restraining order in Taguig court to pull-off the ads. The court then ruled that the advertisement “must be suppressed at once.”
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