MANILA -- The renewal of ABS-CBN Corp's franchise will be up Congress, not President Rodrigo Duterte, his spokesman said Thursday.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo made the remark when asked about the case of rival broadcaster TV5, whose franchise lapsed into law. A bill granting a fresh franchise to the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines also lapsed into law without the President's signature.

"But ABS-CBN ang expiration next year pa eh, tsaka Congress naman. Nasa Kongreso ang bola niyan, hindi naman kay Presidente."

(ABS-CBN's franchise will expire next year and that will depend on Congress not the President.)

Duterte has criticized ABS-CBN for allegedly not airing a 2016 campaign that he paid for and instead showing a TV spot that was critical of him and was paid by his critic, former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.

The franchise of the Lopez-led network will expire in March 2020.

News.abs-cbn.com is the official news website of ABS-CBN Corp.