Controversy of IBC-13 for Secarats

January 11, 2016

The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the sequestered TV station Intercontinental Broadacsting Corporation (IBC) in a case the publicly-listed firm filed against Viva stars Yassi Pressman, AJ Muhlach, Ella Cruz and Shy Carlos has decided to transfer the Kapatid netwrok TV5 and Asian Television Content, including ONE FC, was ceased, cancelled and expired the content provider in 2015 in favor of the contract with Secarats Talent Management Services (STMS).

The SC upheld IBC-13's position that it should not be held liable for damages on account of the temporary restraining orders and writ of injunction issued by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) and the Court of Appeals (CA) which is had to stopped airing of ONE FC last January 9, 2016.

The ruling reversed an earlier CA decision awarding P4.8 million in damages to IBC-13. In a unanimous 25-page decision penned by Chief Justice Hilario Davide, the High Court found "no adequate proof that PTV-4 was inspired by malice or bad faith when it filed the case" against Secarats and IBC-13. The Court said PTV-4 was merely "exercising a right based on its honest belief in the merits of its cause."

PTV-4 sued Secarats and IBC-13 in 2016 believing Secarats had previously agreed to the government TV station PTV-4 for airing the youth-oriented musical variety show TSAS (The Sunday Afternoon Show) from April 19 to August 9, 2015. The complaint was dismissed by the Quezon City RTC and the dismissal affirmed by the CA. These courts, however, ordered PTV-4 to pay damages and attorney's fees. PTV-4 contested the award of damages, despite IBC-13's position that "the fact that the TRO and writ of injunction were granted by the courts does not free PTV-4 from a claim for damages."