黑料社

MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Senator Grace Poe has pledged to protect resource persons who will be invited in the hearing of the Senate committee on public services on the renewal of ABS-CBN鈥檚 franchise.

The panel chair issued this promise as the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) filed earlier Tuesday 鈥� a day after Poe announced the conduct of the public hearing 鈥� a motion asking the Supreme Court to stop ABS-CBN and other concerned parties from discussing the quo warranto petition.

鈥淲e鈥檙e committed to protect our resource persons kung anuman ang kanilang sasabihin. Ngayon gaya nga ng sinabi ko, meron na bang nahatulan ang Korte Suprema sa pagsasalita nila dito sa Senado, wala pa naman,鈥� Senator Grace Poe, chair of the Senate public services committee, told reporters in an interview.

(We鈥檙e committed to protecting our resource persons on whatever they will say. Now, as I said, has there been anyone who was convicted by the Supreme Court for speaking before the Senate. So far, there鈥檚 none.)

鈥淪iyempre merong susubok na mag-file ng kaso para pahirapan 鈥榶ung mga testigo, pero risonable naman ako, umaasa, ang ating Korte Suprema na makikita nila na kung ang mga senador ay exempt sa pagsasalita nila sa isang hearing, parang common sense na kasama 鈥榶ung mga kausap nila di鈥檅a? Alangan naman kausapin ng Senado ang sarili nila,鈥� she pointed out.

(Of course, there will be those who will file cases to burden the witnesses, but I鈥檓 reasonable, hoping that our Supreme Court will see that if the senators are exempted for speaking in the hearing, it鈥檚 like common sense that it includes those who are being talked to by senators, right? It can鈥檛 be that the Senate talks to itself.)

Poe assured that the Senate would offer 鈥渨hatever authority鈥� the upper chamber can extend 鈥渢o offer that protection鈥� to resource persons.

Poe earlier cited the constitutional mandate of the Senate to grant or deny legislative franchises as she insisted that her panel 鈥渨ill push through鈥� with the hearing despite OSG鈥檚 motion to gag ABS-CBN and others in the quo warranto petition it filed on February 10 before the high court.

Solicitor General Jose Calida personally went to the Supreme Court and filed the quo warranto petition, which seeks to void ABS-CBN鈥檚 franchise allegedly due to 鈥渁busive practices鈥�.

鈥淣ow whether or not the Court will decide in favor of the Senate, what I can say is in the past the Supreme Court has always upheld that the Senate is a co-equal branch of government,鈥� Poe pointed out.

The chair of the Senate committee on public services said she eyes the conduct of the hearing on ABS-CBN鈥檚 franchise renewal at a schedule earlier than the originally set February 27.

Edited by KGA