President Rodrigo Duterte accepted on Wednesday the apology made by ABS-CBN for "offending" him over his unaired campaign advertisements during the 2016 elections.

"It's there already. I accept the apology, of course," Duterte told reporters in Malacañang when asked if he has accepted the apology made ABS-CBN Corp. president and chief executive officer Carlo Katigbak during a Senate investigation last Monday.

Katigbak apologized to Duterte if they offended him.

The television network failed to air Duterte's campaign ads despite payment during the 2016 elections while the network allowed the airing of then opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV's campaign ads "maligning" him.

Katigbak said ABS-CBN refunded Duterte's camp P4 million from the supposed P7-million worth of local ads.

He admitted, however, there was a delay in reimbursing the remaining amount. But Duterte reportedly did not accept the remaining P2.6 million in ad money.

Asked if he would still accept the P2.6 million, Duterte said, "just give it to any charitable institution of their choice."

Duterte, meanwhile, distanced himself from ABS-CBN's petition for the renewal of its franchise before the Congress.

"I said I leave it to Congress," he said.

Duterte said he is keeping a "healthy distance" from Congress, which is deliberating ABS-CBN's petition.

"They are now deliberating in Congress: the Lower House and the Senate. There is a plan that they will pass a joint resolution. but fundamentally really the decision is with the House now not so much in the Senate because the Constitution says all of these things must originate from the Lower House," he said.

"Forget all about these hullaballoos...the critical move is in the House. And I tell you, I am not going to interfere," he stressed.

As to the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida seeking to revoke ABS-CBN's current franchise, Duterte said he could not do anything about it.

"The problem with the SolGen once he makes an official statement that there is a violation of law, then I'm barred already...I cannot tell him to stop. The SolGen could always announce that there is a violation of law and that he is going to investigate it," Duterte said.

He said the SolGen does not clear with him unlike the secretary of the Department of Justice.

"He (DOJ secretary) will call my attention or he will bring it up in the Cabinet. The SolGen does not. He studies and then goes to the public and say there is a violation here. I cannot stop him," he added. Celerina Monte/DMS