Malacañang has been consistent in maintaining that President Rodrigo Duterte remained “neutral” all throughout the hearings conducted by the House of Representatives for ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal application.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque has emphasized that it is the authority of the Congress to grant franchises, which the president cannot influence. Meanwhile, PRRD have publicly threatened the media giant that “he will see to it that they’re out” because of the network’s failure to air his presidential ads.
On Tuesday, July 14, government-run television stations aired a speech of the President delivered to soldiers in Jolo, Sulu on Monday, July 13. In his speech, he lambasted the “oligarchs” and boasted about dismantling them without the need to declare martial law.
However, a news organization claimed that the speech was edited, omitting Duterte’s tirades against ABS-CBN. A full audio recording of the speech was then released.
The parts about oligarchs and martial law, according to the reports, were preceded by this: “ ’Yun namang ABS-CBN binaboy ako. Pero sinabi ko kapag ako nanalo, bubuwagin ko ang oligarchy ng Pilipinas. Ginawa ko.”
[That ABS-CBN lambasted me. But I said, if I win, I will topple the oligarchy in the Philippines. And I did.]
Despite this, Roque maintained that the President was not referring to ABS-CBN when the Chief Executive hit the oligarchs.
Roque refused to comment on the audio recording as he said he was not present in the event in Jolo, Sulu.
“I don’t know why. Because I will not comment on an alleged transcript that I do not have any personal knowledge of? I waived the option of going with the President to Jolo on that day with my duties as a spokesperson to conduct my regular press briefings, and I could not do both,” Roque said.
