MANILA - Solicitor General Jose Calida is expected by congressmen to attend the House Committee on Legislative Franchises' hearing Tuesday on ABS-CBN's franchise renewal, a lawmaker said Monday.

Bulacan Rep. Jonathan Sy-Alvarado, one of the committee's five vice-chairpersons, said in a statement that Calida is among a number of resource persons the panel called "to shed light and provide a general overview of the issues."

The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, which Sy-Alvarado chairs, will jointly conduct the hearing with the legislative franchises committee, headed by Palawan 1st District Rep. Franz Alvarez.

"Just like the members of Congress, I am sure our kababayans would like to hear - and they deserve to hear - what SolGen Calida has to say, instead of just reading or watching about it in the news," Sy-Alvarado said.

Calida's expected presence in the hearing is "without prejudice to the quo warranto case he has filed before the Supreme Court" against the expired franchise of ABS-CBN.

Calida asked the high court in February to invalidate ABS-CBN's franchise, citing alleged violation by the company of the Constitutional ban on foreign ownership and purportedly operating "beyond the scope of its legislative franchise." The quo warranto petition remains unresolved.

• Solicitor General questions ABS-CBN franchise before Supreme Court

The franchise of ABS-CBN, which insisted it did not violate the law, has since expired on May 4, without any of pending bills in Congress seeking to grant it a fresh 25-year franchise getting passed.

On May 5, the country's leading media and entertainment company halted its broadcast operations after the National Telecommunications Commission issued it a cease-and-desist order, going back to its commitment to lawmakers in March that ABS-CBN will be granted a provisional authority.

• NTC to allow ABS-CBN to operate until June 2022

It followed the warning Calida gave to the NTC on the eve of the expiry of ABS-CBN's franchise against the issuance of a provisional authority.

• Calida warns NTC against issuing provisional authority to ABS-CBN, affiliates

Sy-Alvarado said Calida's appearance at the House is not expected to affect the case lodged before the SC, citing the Constitution and a House rule that states, "the filing or pendency of a case before any court, tribunal or quasi-judicial or administrative body shall not stop or abate any inquiry conducted to carry out a legislative purpose."

Calida did not attend hearings conducted by the Senate in February and last week that tackled issues related to ABS-CBN.

• SolGen Calida skips Senate inquiry on ABS-CBN's franchise
• ABS-CBN to Senate: We did not violate any of the franchise provisions

House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano has blamed Calida for "unconstitutionally meddling" with ABS-CBN's franchise renewal issue.

• Cayetano hits NTC 'betrayal,' Solicitor General's 'unconstitutional meddling' on ABS-CBN franchise renewal