House was “ambushed by NTC” when it issued order on ABS-CBN: Cayetano

May 8, 2020

Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said the House leadership was ''ambushed by the NTC ( National Telecommunications Commission) '' when it issued the cease and desist order for ABS-CBN to shut down operations.

In a Facebook post on Friday, three days after the NTC issued the order, Cayetano said ;'' Despite a resolution from the Senate, and several verbal and written assurances given to Congress- the NTC appears to have succumbed to pressure from the Solicitor General, and issued a cease and desist order to ABS-CBN.''

“As for the sudden flip-flopping of the NTC and the unconstitutional meddling by the Solicitor General in the business of Congress, I promise you - there will be a reckoning,” Cayetano added.

Cayetano said  the House committee on legislative franchises will conduct hearings on the franchise of ABS-CBN ''in a manner that is consistent with what we have always said. That is - fair, impartial, thorough, and comprehensive.''

While the NTC decision “unnecessarily complicates the issue,'' Cayetano said the ''exclusive constitutional authority to grant, deny, extend, revoke, or modify broadcast franchises - including having the primary jurisdiction to make an initial determination whether an application for a legislative franchise should be granted or denied - still resides in Congress, and Congress alone.”

Congress ends its session on June 5.

Cayetano then told critics, ''in and outside the House, you are free to say what you will. As we are free to respond in our own way.''

Cayetano said the NTC assured the House in March during a committee on legislative franchises hearing, that the NTC  would issue a provisional authority that would allow ABS-CBN to continue broadcasting until Congress makes a decision on its franchise.

“With this assurance, we wasted no time in addressing the bigger threat facing the country,” he said, pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the March-April congressional recess, he said he, House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez and other solons “worked tirelessly to address the now COVID-19 pandemic.” DMS