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The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) apologized to the House of Representatives for issuing a cease and desist order against ABS-CBN.
He maintained that he issued the order out of respect and in recognition of the exclusive authority of Congress over franchising.
The Legislative Franchise Chamber Committee previously ordered the NTC to explain why its officials should not be scorned for issuing the order.
In a letter to President Alan Peter Cayetano and Committee Chairman Franz Alvarez, NTC officials explained that the agency was unable to issue a provisional authority as previously committed, and decided to issue a CDO for legal reasons after the expiration of the ABS-CBN franchise on May 4.
NTC officials said they studied “rigorously” legal arguments and opinions regarding the issuance of an AP.
“In the end, the NTC’s collective assessment was that the Constitution, laws, and jurisprudence provided insurmountable obstacles to issuing an AP, despite fair considerations. If the NTC issued an AP, it would have been an intrusion into the exclusive domain of Congress, ”they said.
However, we regret not notifying you, the Honorable President, and the House of Representatives, and in particular the President and members of the Legislative Franchise Committee, of our decision to issue a CDO against ABS-CBN after the expiration of their franchise lasted on May 4, 2020. We are also deeply saddened by the inconvenience we may have caused to Congress, “they added.
The letter was signed by Commissioner Gamaliel Córdoba, Deputy Commissioners Edgardo Cabarios and Delilah Deles and the Head of the Legal Branch Ella Blanca López.
