Repost: SolGen Calida Hits Back at Celebrities Who Bashed Him on Shutdown of ABS-CBN

Images courtesy of www.gmanetwork.com/ IG: mr.cocomartin

Source: www.gmanetwork.com

Solicitor General Jose Calida on Monday lashed out at celebrities who were critical of him and his role in the shutdown of the broadcast operations of ABS-CBN.

Calida, who participated in the joint hearing of the House Committees on Legislative Franchises and on Good Government and Public Accountability via teleconferencing, slammed "stars and celebrities [who] have taken to social media to rail against what they perceive to be oppression on the part of the government."

"In desperation, they would want to use their influence over their multitudes of fans to muddle the issue and drum up support for their network," the solicitor general complained.

Calida specifically pointed to actor Coco Martin who mentioned him in his social media post defending ABS-CBN.

Martin supposedly said in his post: "Kapag ang pamilya ko kinanti, kahit sino ka pa, lalaban ako nang patayan sa'yo kahit patayin mo pa ako. Maraming salamat Solicitor General Joe Calida at sa bumubuo ng NTC sa kontribusyon ninyo sa ating bayan! Tinatarantado ninyo ang mga Pilipino!"

Calida said Martin appeared to be spoiling for a fight, and that the latter felt that he could solve the issues of ABS-CBN the way he solves them in his teleseryes.

"However, we cannot discount the fact that in his rage, Coco Martin's outburst showed a clear lack of understanding of the situation. The sarcasm is clear: 'Ipagdarasal ko na lumiwanag sana ang inyong isipin at kung sino man ang nag-utos sayo,'" he said.

"If I had not been the Solicitor General, I would have called his bluff and make him eat his words," he added.

Calida in February filed a quo warranto petition to forfeit the legislative franchises of ABS-CBN Corporation and its subsidiary, ABS-CBN Convergence, Inc.

He alleged that ABS-CBN has been broadcasting for a fee and operating a "pay-per-view channel in ABS-CBN TV Plus, the KBO Channel, without prior approval or permit from the National Telecommunications Commission."

He also claimed that ABS-CBN has issued Philippine Depositary Receipts to foreigners, and that ABS-CBN Convergence, Inc. resorted to an "ingenious corporate layering scheme" to transfer its franchise "without the necessary Congressional approval."

In his speech during the joint hearing, Calida claimed that ABS-CBN had been "deceiving" the Filipino people for many decades, and it is now incumbent upon Congress to decide whether or not it would still grant a franchise to the network.

"The time has come to expose ABS-CBN, whose owners and corporate officers continue to deceive the Filipino people into believing that they are 'in the service of the Filipino people,'" he said.

"In truth, however, ABS-CBN is motivated not by service but by greed and desire for power and influence. Their brazen act must come to an end. The hour of reckoning may have been delayed but it has now come," he added.

The joint House panels began hearing the bills seeking to grant another 25-year franchise to ABS-CBN after the House leadership decided to drop the measure that would supposedly give the network a provisional franchise until October 31, 2020.

Cayetano, himself an author of the provisional franchise bill, has said the issue on the ABS-CBN franchise has already become "so divisive" and is taking up the time even as there are more pressing matters to discuss such as that of COVID-19 response measures.

He, however, vowed to have a fair and comprehensive hearing on the issue at the committee level.

Hearings on the matter would continue on Wednesday, June 3. — DVM, GMA News