Court tells GMA-7, ABS-CBN to Submit Memo for Case Resolution

The Quezon City Regional Trial Court has ordered GMA GMA Network Inc. and ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. to submit their rejoinders so that it can decide on the GMA's petition to stop ABS-CBN from airing stories or plugs regarding the alleged ratings manipulation.

The court said the affidavits should be filed by Monday next week.

ABS-CBN was scheduled to present three more new witnesses during Tuesday’s hearing but Judge Henri Inting wanted to...


to submit the case for resolution, saying that he already heard enough evidence.

ABS-CBN lawyer Regis Puno said the company wanted to present more witnesses but the judge felt the evidence was already sufficient for him to make a ruling.

Lawyer Gener Asuncion of GMA, on the other hand, maintained that ABS-CBN should stop airing any plug and story pending the resolution of the case.

On Monday, an ABS-CBN informant told the court that the metered homes of research firm TNS-Trends in Bacolod City were also allegedly targeted for tampering by a local TV network.

Informant Johnny Aliguin told the court that he and his companions were instructed by Jonathan Cabillon, station manager of RGMA Iloilo, to look for metered homes of AGB Nielsen Media Research Philippines and TNS Philippines in Bacolod City.

GMA, however, dismissed Aliguin’s testimony as nothing but a tall tale.

Aliguin earlier said that he was hired by RGMA, which manages GMA Network’s provincial stations, to locate and bribe AGB panel homes in Bacolod City allegedly in an effort to tamper TV ratings in that area.

Aliguin said that his group was able to locate and bribe metered homes of both AGB Nielsen and TNS Trends in Bacolod. He said his group offered groceries and cash to convince panel home members to switch to a rival channel.

He said he was later instructed to abandon the alleged illegal operations and focus on AGB’s metered homes.

TNS has begun setting-up operations for television ratings but it has yet to release its data.
Source.