Solicitor General Jose Calida on Monday said the quo warranto petition he filed before the Supreme Court against ABS-CBN will not affect the congressional hearing on the station's franchise.

In an interview with reporters at Camp Crame, Calida said they found out ABS-CBN Corp. and its subsidiary, ABS-CBN Convergence, Inc. have violated the Constitution and the law.

“We gathered documents from different government agencies… Violation of the Constitution and the laws, I can only say up to that, it’s now already in court,” Calida said.

Calida added the judiciary will hear the constitutionality of the ABS-CBN franchise renewal.

“We filed it to the Supreme Court because there is constitutionality… (there is no effect) because the Congress is different one. Our judiciary and Congress are separate (bodies),” he said.

Earlier at the Supreme Court, Calida said they discovered “highly abusive” practices from ABS-CBN.

“These practices have gone unnoticed or were disregarded for years," he added.

Calida said “a franchise is a special privilege granted by the State, and should be restricted only to entities which faithfully adhere to our constitution and laws.”

For its part, ABS-CBN denied the allegations of Calida and said their petition is “without merit”.

“These allegations cited by the Office of the Solicitor General in his press statement are without merit. ABS-CBN complies with all pertinent laws governing its franchise and has secured all necessary government and regulatory approvals for its business operations,” it said in a statement posted over its online news portal, abs-cbnnews.com. Ella Dionisio/DMS