A group of journalists urged the Congress to grant ABS-CBN its license to operate to prove its independence.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) on Tuesday said President Rodrigo Duterte's fresh tirades against the broadcast network proved it was a "personal vendetta" that led to its shutdown.
"Why else would he rail about ordering the National Telecommunications Commission not to grant the network a permit to operate should Congress grant it a new franchise?" NUJP asked.
On Monday, Duterte said he will not allow the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to grant ABS-CB a permit to operate even if the Congress gives the Lopez-owned network a fresh franchise.
Citing unpaid taxes, which have been repeatedly addressed, Duterte reiterated that he will not allow ABS-CBN to operate unless the Lopezes pay their taxes.
In February 2020, the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Securities and Exchange Commission clarified in a Senate inquiry that the ABS-CBN did not violate any corporate laws and has regularly paid its taxes for the past years.
NUJP further appealed to the Congress to prove that they are a co-equal and independent branch of government by granting ABS-CBN a new franchise and override any veto.
"Perhaps it is not too late for the members of the House of Representatives to salvage their reputations, to prove that they are the Constitution charges them to be, members of a co-equal and independent branch of government, and no longer the willing accomplices to the continuing siege on press freedom and all our rights and liberties."
ABS-CBN went off air in May 2020 after its legislative franchise expired. In September, the NTC issued an order recalling all frequencies or channels assigned to the network.