Robin Padilla reacts to bashers accusing him of ‘ditching’ ABS-CBN amid franchise woes

Actor Robin Padilla has fired back at his bashers who accused him of “ditching” TV network ABS-CBN amid the challenges it is facing regarding its franchise renewal.

In his Facebook post on February 12, Robin, who has done several shows for the Kapamilya network in the past, also talked about equality under the law.

He noted that everyone must be treated equally under the law, without any privilege, discrimination or bias.

“Sabi daw ng netizens nilaglag ko daw ang network ko. Wow! Mga kababayan kahit na sino kahit kaibigan ko kapatid ko kapamilya ko at kamag anak ko kapag lumabag ka sa batas dapat kang magbayad sa batas dahil ako nagbayad ako ng tatlong taon sa loob ng kulungan/piitan/bilibid dahil nagbayad ako sa kasalanan ko,” wrote Robin, who is a known supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The actor said it is better to let the judicial system work regarding the ABS-CBN franchise issues.

He noted that ABS-CBN has nothing to fear if it really has not broken any law.

“Ano bang kinakatakot natin para sa ABS-CBN? May pagkakasala ba talaga sila sa batas? Ako ay may tiwala sa BATAS dahil naranasan ko ang talim at lambing ng BATAS sa buhay ko kaya ko sinasabi na dapat umiral ang BATAS dahil ang batas ang proteksyon ng lahat ng Pilipino mayaman man o mahirap,” Robin noted.

“No one is above the law and under it kaya kung wala silang kasalanan it will be their glory and pride. So let them fight it in our courts. Let the truth prevail ‘wag tayong maging spoiler parang teleserye lang ‘yan na pinanonood niyo abangan niyo ang mga revelation ayaw niyo ba malaman ang katotohanan?” he added.

Earlier, the actor posted on his Instagram account a photo of the Lady Justice statue with a quote, “No man is above the law and no man is below the law.”

A part of his image caption said: “Mayaman o mahirap. May kapangyarihan o wala. Sikat man o hindi. Ang lahat dapat ay pantay pantay sa harap ng batas dahil ang hustisya ay walang tinitingnan o tinititigan. Ang MALI ay MALI. At ang TAMA ay TAMA. Walang maybe o exempted. Ang lahat ay mananagot kapag lumabag sa batas.”

This garnered criticism from netizens and bashed him for supposedly being negative towards ABS-CBN.

Eventually, he took down his post.

Explaining his side, Robin said he deleted his previous post due to the request of his wife and actor Phillip Salvador.

The actor’s wife, Mariel Rodriguez, is still under the management of the network.

“Inalis ko na rin ang mga post ko kahapon sa Instagram at FB about the legal issue of ABS-CBN not the franchise issue bilang respeto ko sa asawa ko na si Mariel. She said, I’m a Kapamilya forever at sinabihan din ako ni Kuya Ipe Salvador na mag-relax at tumahimik dahil walang alam si mayor PRRD (Duterte) sa hakbang ng SolGen kaya balik na lang ako sa aking journey towards spirituality,” Robin said.

“Peace be with you all. May the wisdom and blessings of our only God be with those who are neglected weak and poor. In Shaa Allah,” he added.

Robin was convicted for illegal possession of firearms and sentenced to a maximum of eight years in jail in 1994.

He was released after almost three years as he was given a conditional pardon by former President Fidel Ramos.

In 2016, Duterte gave Robin absolute pardon in connection with his illegal possession of firearms conviction.

Absolute pardon means his political and civil rights would be restored that allows him to vote and freely travel abroad, among others.

The 25-year franchise of ABS-CBN expires on March 30.

To date, there are at least 11 pending bills seeking franchise renewal for ABS-CBN.

However, the House committee on legislative franchises has yet to act on them.

On Monday, Solicitor General Jose Calida filed a quo warranto petition before the Supreme Court (SC) to forfeit the legislative franchise of ABS-CBN.

In his petition, Calida argued that the network violated the terms of its franchise.

But ABS-CBN has maintained that it did not violate any law.

The Lopez-led firm stressed it “complies with all pertinent laws governing its franchise and has secured all necessary government and regulatory approvals for its business operations.”

ABS-CBN further noted that it was looking forward to answering allegations before franchise renewal hearings in Congress.

“We did not violate the law. This case appears to be an attempt to deprive Filipinos of the services of ABS-CBN,” the network said.