President Rodrigo Duterte once again threatened to object to the renewal of ABS-CBN's franchise, which is set to expire in 2020.
In an article published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer yesterday, November 8, the President issued this warning in his speech during the distribution of land to agrarian reform beneficiaries in Boracay.
This was after he accused Channel 2 of not airing his campaign ad, which was already paid for during the 2016 presidential elections.
He said, "Kalakas ng loob… mukhang marami kami sila Chiz Escudero, tanggap nang tanggap. Niloko ninyo kami, marami hindi lang ako kaya kayo hindi ko kayo palusutin.
"'Yung franchise ninyo matatapos na, but let me ask you questions first, kasi ako talagang mag-object na ma-renew kayo."
In an interview with reporters after the ceremony, Duterte also revealed that ABS-CBN offered to return his payment.
"They offered to pay and I refused to accept it because it was returned to me… proposed to return the money was too late after the election.
"When you do that to many people, it’s fraud. You’re actually a fraud when you actually received money and you don’t come up with your part in the bargain."
It was on April 27, 2017 when President Duterte first threatened to block the renewal of ABS-CBN's franchise, which will expire on March 30, 2020.
ABS-CBN's application for renewal remains pending in Congress.
The Kapamilya Network has yet to issue a statement regarding President Duterte's latest threat.
Aside from airing shows on television, ABS-CBN has made efforts to venture into the digital world, via its upcoming streaming service iWant, which is set to launch its programs this November 17.
Last April 21, Duterte approved the franchise renewal of rival network GMA-7.
The law extended the Kapuso Network's franchise for 25 years.