Charles Teves
The House of Representatives resumed the hearing for ABS-CBN’s bid for a 25-year franchise on Monday.
The House committee on legislative franchises and the committee on good government and public accountability continued its joint hearing to talk about major issues against the media giant.
One of the issues that were raised was yet again was ABS-CBN’s Chairman Emeritus Gabby Lopez’s citizenship. Lopez maintained that he remains a Filipino and was asked by House Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta to recite the first line of the Panatang Makabayan to prove his allegiance to the Philippines.
Former Kapamilya star Glaiza de Castro said that this was a form of bullying from Marcoleta.
Trip trip nalang eh no
— Glaiza de Castro (@glaizaredux) June 8, 2020
Another former Kapamilya star Lauren Young saw Marcoleta’s actions as unfair.
Ay pero siya pwede kung ano ano sabihin. Ok po. https://t.co/xWjPNhyWU3
— Lauren Young (@loyoung) June 8, 2020
House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez moved to allow all standing and special committees to conduct public hearings or inquiries during its break before the lower chamber adjourned sine die on June 5.
The move to allow House panels to hold hearings seeks to have “noteworthy and meaningful proposed legislation” and “support the continued hearings of ABS-CBN’s franchise application,” Romualdez said. The motion was adopted by the members of the House.
Lopez’s legal counsel Ayo Bautista explained that the chairman emeritus was born a Filipino citizen by Filipino parents but was born in the US, which recognizes the legal principle of jus soli, or grant of citizenship if one was born in US soil.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) backed this claim as they examined Lopez’s application for a recognition of his Filipino citizenship so he could get a Philippine passport back in 2001.
Justice Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar clarified that the granting of confirmation of citizenship does not mean it “grants or perfects” citizenship.
“Sa pagbigay ng kumpirmasyon ng DOJ sa citizenship ni Mr. Gabby Lopez, hindi po ito pamamaraan ng pag-grant or pag-perfect ng citizenship, dahil po siya ay mayroong magulang na both father and mother na Filipino citizen kaya sa kanyang pagkapanganak siya ay isang Filipino citizen,” Aglipay-Villar said.
ABS-CBN is still losing P30 to P35 million a day after the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) issued a cease and desist order against the network on May 5.
