THREAD: House of Representatives holds its 12th hearing on the franchise of broadcast giant ABS-CBN | LIVE https://bit.ly/2VOSDix 

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Dumper PTDA Partylit Rep. Claudine Bautista: Nanawagan po kami sa lahat na irespeto kaming mga mambabatas dito sa Kongreso. Para po sa ABS-CBN, wag po nating insultuhin ang bulwagan kung saan dinidinig ang inyong aplikasyon

Good Government and Public Accountability Committee Chair Jose Sy-Alvarado says today's deliberation will focus on ABS-CBN's supposed bias and favoritism in reporting, especially during the 2016 national election

Rep. Sy-Alvarado on ABS-CBN's supposed "political meddling": Habang si (Speaker) Cayetano ang tumatakbo bilang bise presidente ni Pangulong Duterte, (1/2)

Rep. Sy-Alvarado: ...siya lamang ang naghain ng TRO laban sa kontrobersyal na ad ni dating Sen. Trillanes na siyang pinalabas lamang ng nag-iisang network, ang ABS-CBN. (2/2)

Rep. Sy-Alvarado reminds the public not to attack him and his fellow congressmen on the social mediafor grilling ABS-CBN officials.

Rep. Jesus Crispin Remulla says he has filed before the NBI a cyberbullying case for being the subject of 'many organized attacks on social media.'

Rep. Remulla: Some people have employed troll farms to get to our organization.

Rep. Remulla: I am asking the committee to look into the deception employed by some resource persons in this committee. Dapat po silang i-cite in contempt. Sana maimbestigahan ho natin ito.

Rep. Remulla appeals to the committee to report to the NBI on supposed 'cyberbullying' against him, involving allies, members of ABS-CBN: Kapag ito ay pinalampas natin, baka maging ugali na lang ng lahat ng ating kaharap na gawin ng ibang mga tao ngayon sa cyberspace, (1/2)

Rep. Remulla: ...pati na rin ang pagsisinungaling sa committee na ito. (2/2)

Rep. Remulla himself was caught by the camera scribbling notes while the "Lupang Hinirang" was being played during last week's deliberation. He blamed 'ABS-CBN people' for supposedly spreading the video which went viral, but did not provide sufficient evidence for this.

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ABS-CBN Integrated News and Current Affairs Division head Ma. Regina Reyes: Since our return to air in 1986, we have endeavored to perform our duty as a news organization.

Reyes: As journalists, we strive to keep biases in check.

Reyes: At a company level, we have an independent network Ombudsman who investigates and make recommendations on complaints against news personnel.

Reyes: We also have a standards and practices unit to ensure our journalists adhere to the highest professional and ethical standards.

Reyes: Your Honors, sa kabila ng aming limitasyon dulot ng shutdown, sinisikap pa rin namin magbigay ng balita sa gitna ng pandemya.

Reyes: The shutdown has deprived more than 69 million Filipinos of the kind of information, analysis and public service provided by ABS-CBN News.

Anakalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor denies claims that he was pushing for the removal of the ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs from its franchise due to supposed biases in its reporting.

ABS-CBN President Carlo Katigbak answers Rep. Defensor's allegations: I want to take responsibility for what was written in our position paper. I did not realize this was an allusion to you. If the statement needs to be corrected, we will submit a revision.

Former ABS-CBN anchor Kata Inocencio: In the 15 years that I have served ABS-CBN in various capacities, we have never been instructed to play favorites, nor slant stories in favor of anyone.

Inocencio: It is in our earnest appeal to this honorable House, that you grant ABS-CBN its franchise so that all sectors of the society will be served.

Former ABS-CBN broadcaster Jay Sonza, now a critic of the network, speaks before the panel on instances involving supposed biases in reporting: Sa broadcast media, may alituntunin diyan na iba sa print media.

Sonza says that ABS-CBN focused its reporting on the "Ako si Bikoy" issue last year, claiming that the network criticized the allies of the government involved in the issue.

Sonza: Kapag nagkamali ka, magkakamali ang buong bayan.

Sonza: Marami pong kayang gawin ang camera...May mga bias na hindi dapat namamayani sa isang news organization.

Film director Kidlat Tahimik: Bilang isang cultural worker, I think it's important na isama itong ingredient itong kultura ng Pilipino and responsibilities of the broadcast industries in our cultures.

Tahimik: When commercial broadcasting has its own momentum, maybe there are impacts sa kapakanan ng mga Pilipino.

Tahimik: Why is cultural relevance important? Let's face it, ad[vertisement] revenues create a certain direction in the kind of programming that is fed to our people.

Tahimik: There are many films, programs that cannot be shown because hindi patok sa takilya.

Tahimik: Sa lakas ng influence ng TV, like or not, a lot of children are exposed there. A lot of homes, ang babysitters ay TV.

Tahimik: Broadcasting is a privilege given by the government.

Tahimik: Dahil trending, dahil uso, ayun ang magiging patok na program. There will be subjects that will neglected. So will it be any surprise if the preponderance ng mga lumalabas, is yung mga superheroes. (1/2)

Tahimik: Somehow, yung mga kabataan natin are interested in Spider-Man, Wonder Woman. Pero wala na silang nalalaman sa kadakilaan ni Andres Bonifacio o katalinuhan ni Emilio Jacinto. (2/2)

Tahimik: My appeal is we cannot take for granted the impact of television.

Tahimik shows his Bamboo camera: It is a metaphor for telling local stories, yung local POV. I think a lot of our programs are patterned after the programs na papatok which came from abroad.

Tahimik: But unless we think and tell our storytelling with our cultural filters, I think we will just remain as copycats of foreign programs. Ang magiging biktima dito ay mga Filipino people.

Rep. Janet Garin: There was a report sometime in 2014 of a flesh eating disease. This was an exclusive report made by ABS-CBN. Namangha po kami dahil lahat naman po ng doktor ay nakakaintindi. But we actually talked about psoriasis.

Rep. Garin: But never did we expect, that this will be out of proportion, labeling certain towns to have a flesh-eating. This actually gave a huge impact on the town.

Rep. Garin: Did we ever think of the patient, of the families, of the psoriasis patients out there who have to live out there who was to live with the day-to-day stigma and discrimination?...And here is our major TV network, bloating the issue.

Reyes: Hours after the airing, that story was flagged and our attention was called. We immediately launched an investigation on the erroneous airing of that story and imposed severe disciplinary actions on our erring journalists that time.

Reyes: We also made sure that we tightened our editorial controls in terms of stories being covered and aired.

Reyes: I also sent a team to talk to provincial officials, to see how our news division can help them in dealing with the impact of that story.

Rep. Garin: Instead of ABS-CBN being an instrument to our public, naging tulay tayo para i-discriminate pa lalo yung mga psoriasis patients.

Rep. Garin: Ang naging reaksyon po ng ABS-CBN ay tumutok po sa mga opisyal.

Rep. Garin also flagged ABS-CBN on its reportage of the Silawan Murder Case. (1/2)

Rep. Garin: The boyfriend was alleged to have been the murderer but the PNP refuted this. The only problem is here is that the PNP was not given the platform that you gave to Atty. Acosta and to Dr. Erwin Erfe. (2/2)

Reyes: In our pursuit of the truth about dengvaxia, we sought information from various sources, including experts, including previous and present officials of Department of Health. (1/2)

Reyes: They gave us diverse opinions and observations about the vaccine, and how it was selected to fight dengue in our country. (2/2)

Reyes: We tried our best to do our stories in a fair and balanced ways. But I do understand and acknowledge your concern on the use of non-experts. In fact, I myself received feedback that some of our commentators' interviews with non-experts tended to alarm people. (1/2)

Reyes: As a result, I acted on it immediately and we dealt with the commentator as well. (2/2)

Reyes: We also put an end on stories on Dengvaxia that tended to cause alarm on the public.

Reyes: Let me just say this, we are a large news organization. Our news platforms have been integrated since several years ago. Sometimes mistakes are made, we are far from perfect...We try our best to do everything to correct them in a timely manner.

Rep. Garin questions ABS-CBN for having Dr. Susy Mercado as its resident medical expert.

Reyes: She was also advising on other matters related to public health at that time. We gave the issue of health attention in our news programs. Yung ibang eksperto ay ginawa namin ang interviews sa bang news programs.

Rep. Garin: Hindi po ba na kapag pumipili kayo ng isang tao who will tell you, advise you, or dictate on you. Hindi po ba na sa gagawin niyong 'yan, ang laki ng posibilidad na kung may personal siyang kalaban, magkakaroon ka ngayon ng pagaaway-away among doctors. (1/2)

Rep. Garin: A giant TV station should have went through the Philippine Medical Association. (2/2)

Rep. Benny Abante: Is ABS-CBN following the 2004 IRR of Presidential Decree No. 1986 as updated October 2012 on TV classification, applying Filipino cultural values as standard?

Rep. Abante flags "sexy-wet" or sensual live performances of artists in television.

Rep. Abante also flags ABS-CBN's reality show Pinoy Big Brother for having a "nude painting" task in one of its seasons.

Rep. Abante also flags ABS-CBN for allowing actor James Reid do a strip tease scene in primetime drama "On The Wings of Love."

Rep. Abante flags television drama Pangako Sa'yo, starring Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, for using foul languages in some scenes.

Rep. Abante to ABS-CBN: Do you have a morality issue?

ABS-CBN COO Cory Vidanes: We comply with all the MTRCB program classifications that are recommended. Kung merong unresolved issues, we present our position to the adjudication committee ng MTRCB.

Vidanes: Rest assured, iisa po ang ating layunin na mapangalagaan ang moral and spiritual values ng pamilyang Pilipino.

Vidanes: We tell stories that teach life lessons. Our stories embody Filipino values like hardwork, honesty, respect, resilience, and love for family, country, and God. Ang sentro ng aming mga kwento ay ang pamilyang Pilipino.

Vidanes: Personally, I assure you that moving forward we will continue to be responsible content producers that make a positive influence in the lives of the Filipino. Maganda po ang hangarin namin. We want to entertain, inspire, and give hope to the Filipino people.

Vidanes: If there are infractions, we correct them right away and apologize to our audiences.

Vidanes: We have continued to work on improving our content through the years. There is no intention to give the audience trash. Mahal po namin ang audience namin. We are here to serve them.

Vidanes: Of all the insights, observations, we will make sure to address them.

Vidanes: Gusto ko lang po sabihin na Showtime and Vice Ganda, ang gusto lang po nila ay magpasaya ng mamamayang Pilipino. I believe the hosts, they don't have deliberate intention to hurt anybody when they do the program...Yes po, they have to be responsible and self-regulate.

Vidanes: If there are some falters, they are quick to make up for it.

Vidanes: It has never been an intention to destroy any person or hurt any family.

Vidanes: It's not about us, it's about the people we serve. We will continue to improve that service.

Vidanes: We do not allow that kind of language in our programs. If there are any slips, naku po, it does not go unpassed. If there are slips, we make sure that we deal with it immediately.

Vidanes: Yung mga sinasabi niyong mga sexual scenes, number one, we have no theme of any show that focus on sex. Number two, if there are sexual scenes, these are only used to establish relationships and heightened conflicts.

Vidanes: Kapag nakita niyo yung kabuuan ng kwento, dun niyo ma-appreciate na all our programs stand for Filipino values.

Rep. Abante: I believe many of your shows give realities and true stories of Filipino experiences, pero kung meron na po itong tinatawag na torrid kissing scenes at napapanood ng mga bata. Ang hirap sa MTRCB, saka kayo bibigyan ng warning, eh napalabas na.

Rep. Abante: Hindi naman po nakikita ng audience yung kabuuan, ang nakikita ng audience ay yung titillating scenes.

MTRCB Executive Director Ann Nemenzo: MTRCB requires the network to submit an episode of their program, then it is reviewed by the board members. (1/2)

MTRCB: And then if ever the committee finds the materials submitted is for PG, the succeeding episodes of that program for the next 13 weeks should conform with the parental guidance parameters. (2/2)

MTRCB: The network, for the next 13 weeks, will exercise self-regulation making sure that the succeeding episodes will conform to the rating given based on the sample episode submitted and reviewed by the board.

Rep. Abante: Therefore, the Congress should review the guidelines to safeguard, the families, the children, the parents?

MTRCB: Yes, congressman. That's why MTRCB came up with an advisory. It's an advisory of the rating of particular program to advise the adult present, to guide their children. (1/2)

MTRCB: Another measure that MTRCB implemented, is the pictogram that you will see on the bottom lower portion of your TV. It is color coded. (2/2)

Rep. Abante: If ever, we are going you a 25-year franchise, would there be changes in your programming and content of programs?

Vidanes: Yes, your honor.

Rep. Bambol Tolentino: Nais ko lang ipabatid na maaring personal o parochial ang aking manifestation, pero ito po ay magpapatunay na biased, para sa akin, ang ABS-CBN.

Rep. Tolentino: Naranasan ko ito ng personal. In 2013, during my first term in Congress, ang masasabi ko lang po ay mahirap lumaban kung ang kalaban mo ay taga-ABS-CBN. I won't mention names. One year before election, binabanatan ka na.

Rep. Tolentino: Mahirap kung ang kalaban mo ay empleyado ng ABS-CBN.

Rep. Tolentino also calls out ABS-CBN for its biased reporting when his brother, Francis, ran as senator in 2016.

Rep. Tolentino: Ang sinasabi ko lang po ay yung pagka-biased. Hindi man lang nila tina-tap ng mangament na "Baka sumusobra ka na?"

Rep. Tolentino: Dun po sa aking kapatid, ang laking hirap ng ginawa sa amin. Halos hinila ka pababa.

Rep. Remulla: Ano ang description niyo ng mga proceedings natin dito?

ABS-CBN CEO Carlo Katigbak: I like to believe we were fair and balanced po.

Rep. Remulla: Hindi ko po nakita 'yan eh. Umaasa po ako sa Google [News]...Wala akong nakitang balansyado.

Reyes: Malawakan po ang naging coverage namin sa franchise hearing. Unang-una, historic po ito.

Reyes: Sinisuguro ko po sa inyo, halos apat ang news teams na nakabantay sa hearing.

Reyes: Ang issue ng press freedom ay dala o naging epekto ng CDO na pinatupad ng NTC nung May 5.

Rep. Remulla: Ano ang kinalaman ng press freedom sa prankisa na nag-expire, na wala ang ABS-CBN ngayon?

Reyes: Totoo po na nakapag-narrowcast kami, pero hindi rin po natin maitatwa na ang ideya ng press freedom ay hindi lamang para sa aming mga journalists. Lahat po ng mamayan, ay nakikinabang po dito. (1/2)

Reyes: Ito po ang aking paninindigan, nung naputol ang aming koneksyon, naapektuhan din po ang kalayaan sa pamamahayag dahil hindi na po kami na-access ng maraming manonood. (2/2)

Rep. Remulla: Kapag may reklamo, tutuluyan namin. Kapag walang reklamo, ano magagawa namin...Ang trabaho namin ay gumawa ng batas.

Reyes: Nanindigan po ako na magiging kabahagi niyan ang isyu ng malayang pamamahayag.

Rep. Remulla: Kaya ang sinasabi niyo, kapag kayo ay nabigyan ng prankisa, walang issue ng press freedom. Kapag hindi kayo nabigyan ng prankisa, masama kami dahil nag-violate kami ng press freedom. Ayun po yung blackmail niyo sa amin.

Reyes: Hindi namin kayo babanatan, sasabihin lang po natin kung ano ang magiging outcome ng hearings ng Kongreso.

Rep. Remulla: Has ABS-CBN done a spin on someone?

Reyes: There are times when the other side is not aired because they refused to be interviewed.

Katigbak: I don't think we are more powerful than the government. That's why we are here today, we understand that our future is in the hands of the government.

Rep. Garin: The reason why COVID-19 is here, is that we have become so divided wherein the powerful people can oppress the few. This virus is just a test on how are we going to unite, act with speed, and defeat it.

Rep. Elpidio Barzaga: Ang position paper [on the issue of alleged failure to air President Duterte's political advertisement in 2016] ng ABS-CBN is not signed and verified.

ABS-CBN confirms the statements in the position paper.

Rep. Barzaga: Mahalaga ang political advertisement. Maswerte lang tayo na noong halalan, ang lamang ng Pangulo ay masyadong malaki. (1/3)

Rep. Barzaga: Ngunit kung ang nanalo sa pagka-pangulo, ang lamang niya lamang ay 50,000 sa runner up at sasabihin nung kandidato who garnered the second highest number of votes, ay kaya lang siya natalo ng 50,000 ay hindi nai-ere ang kanyang political advertisement. (2/3)

Rep. Barzaga: You can imagine what could be the repercussions. (3/3)

Rep. Barzaga: Nung Feb. 24, 2020, katulad ng nabanggit ko kanina, sa hearing sa Senado, humingi kayo ng paumanhin sa Pangulo. Ito ba ang kauna-unahang pagkakataon, mula nung 2016 election na humingi ng public apology sa ating Pangulo?

Katigbak: Opo.

Rep. Barzaga says the campaign ads of Senators Migz Zubiri, Sherwin Gatchalian, and Francis Tolentino were nor aired by ABS-CBN in 2013.

Katigbak admits to this.

Rep. Barzaga: Yung hindi pag-ere ng mga political ads ng mga kandidato sa national positions, ay masasabi ba nating pangkaraniwang nangyayari sa ABS-CBN?

Katigbak: Sa 2016, totoo po.

Rep. Barzaga: Kailan niyo nalaman sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon na hindi niyo nai-ere ang political ad ng Pangulo sa probinsya?

Katigbak: Nung April [2016], alam na namin na may mga spots na hindi umere.

Rep. Barzaga: Pero dito sa inyong press releases and even in your statement, first come, first serve kayo. Yung mga political ads ng Pangulo ay dumating lamang nung May 3 at nakumpleto lamang nung May 4.

Katigbak: Yung sinabi namin, karamihan of the unaired spots were in May.

Rep. Barzaga: Kailan niyo natanggap yung political advertisement [ni Pangulong Duterte]?

Katigbak: Meron po nung May 2, 2016, meron din nung May 3, 2016.

Rep. Barzaga: Bukod ba sa ating Pangulo, ay meron bang political advertisements ang ibang kandidato na hindi niyo nai-air sa mga probinsya sa ating bansa?

Katigbak: Meron po.

Katigbak says the political ads of Senators Francis Tolentino, Francis Pangilinan, Leila De Lima, Migz Zubiri, and Ralph Recto were not aired by ABS-CBN in the provinces during the 2016 elections.

Rep. Barzaga: Mabibigay niyo ba yung mga may political advertisement na tumatakbo bilang pangalawang pangulo na hindi nai-ere sa probinsiya nung 2016?

Katigbak: Former Senator Trillanes, former Senator Marcos, Speaker Cayetano, Leni Robredo.

Katigbak also says that the network also failed to air the political advertisement of Mar Roxas in some provinces in 2016.

Katigbak: Sa pagkakaalam ko po, tinatanggap ng mga ahente po namin, na tanggapin o kung sakaling may ibang umatras, na ipasok na lang yung telecast order nila.

Rep. Barzaga: Kailan niyo unang nalaman, na hindi na nai-ere ang political advertisement ni Pangulong Duterte nung 2016 elections?

Katigbak: Siguro po nung nag-umpisa yung telecast order ng May 2 and May 3, sa May 4 siguro po.

Katigbak: Alam na po namin na may mga spots na hindi tumakbo.