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VERA FILES FACT CHECK: VP bet Sara Duterte’s hands-off stand on ABS-CBN franchise renewal needs context

Needs context

Vice presidential candidate Sara Duterte-Carpio has recently refrained from sharing her opinion on the matter of ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal. But two years ago, as Davao City mayor, she expressed support for the country’s largest broadcasting network.

See the full context in this video:

Duterte-Carpio made the comment after her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, accepted the apology of ABS-CBN President and Chief Executive Officer Carlo Katigbak for failing to air the political advertisements of the then-presidential candidate in the 2016 elections.

News reports say that the former mayor agreed with her father on leaving the decision about ABS-CBN’s franchise to Congress and the Supreme Court.

BACKSTORY

The President had repeatedly threatened to block the network’s franchise, accusing ABS-CBN of swindling and being a “mouthpiece” of the opposition.

(Read VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Duterte’s past statements belie Roque’s claim that the president is ‘neutral’ on ABS-CBN issue and VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Duterte statements belie Panelo’s claim that the president ‘does not want’ ABS-CBN to shut down)

He also falsely claimed that ABS-CBN did not pay its taxes, although it had been cleared of tax deficiencies by the Bureau of the Internal Revenue during congressional hearings in February 2020.

(Read VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Duterte makes false claim on ABS-CBN’s tax ‘violation’)

On July 10, 2020, a decisive 70-11 vote in the House of Representatives killed the media giant’s bid for another 25-year franchise to operate. This resulted in the displacement of more than 11,000 workers amid the current health crisis.

(Read VERA FILES FACT SHEET: What’s next for ABS-CBN after losing franchise bid? and VERA FILES FACT SHEET: The ABS-CBN franchise conundrum)

 

Editor’s note: This article was updated on March 10, 2022 to include the video fact check.

 

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Sources

Twitter account of People’s Television Network, WATCH: Vice presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte on granting media network ABS-CBN a franchise, March 1, 2022

ABS-CBN News, Sara Duterte suportado ang franchise renewal ng ABS-CBN, Feb. 27, 2020

SunStar, NUJP, ABS-CBN to hold candle lighting vigil, Feb. 27, 2020

OneNewsPH Facebook Page, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio reiterates her support for ABS-CBN amid its franchise renewal issue, March 2, 2020

Manila Bulletin, President Duterte accepts the apology of ABS-CBN President Carlo Katigbak, Feb. 26, 2020

GMA Network, ABS-CBN president Katigbak apologizes to Duterte, Feb. 24, 2020

Inquirer.net, ABS-CBN’s Katigbak: We’re sorry if we offended the President, Feb. 24, 2020

PhilStar.com, ABS-CBN president apologizes to Duterte, Feb. 25, 2020

 

(Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Find out more about this initiative and our methodology.)