The House of Representatives on Wednesday convened as a committee of the whole to grant ABS-CBN the provisional authority to operate until Oct. 31, while Congress decides whether to renew its franchise, which expired May 4.
Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said the House granted the radio-TV broadcast network the franchise to operate for a "limited time" to allow Congress to extensively and thoroughly deliberate on several pending bills that call for the renewal of ABS-CBN franchise. Salamat po."
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House Bill 6732, filed by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and several House members, was approved on second reading Wednesday night, and was expected to be approved on third and final reading by Thursday. Once approved on third reading, the bill will be transmitted to the Senate.
The bill would effectively negate the cease-and-desist order that the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) had issued to ABS-CBN, forcing it to shut down its transmission facilities and triggering accusations that the administration was clamping down on press freedom.
Cayetano said he hoped that HB 67322 would strike a balance between the immediate needs of the people amid the COVID-19 crisis and the duty of Congress to ensure accountability to the law.
In his speech, Cayetano attacked the NTC and its commissioner, Gamaliel Cordova, for failing to live up to its commitment to Congress to issue a provisional authority to ABS-CBN, while lawmakers decide on the renewal of its franchise.
"Providing ABS-CBN with a provisional franchise valid until Oct. 31, 2020 will give both the House of Representatives and the Senate [time] to hear the issues being raised for and against the renewal, and assess, with complete impartiality and fairness, whether or not the network shall be granted a franchise for another 25 years," Cayetano said in the bill.
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Congressional leaders expressed support for Cayetano's position.
Deputy Speakers Roberto Puno of Antipolo City Raneo Abu of Batangas and Dan Fernandez of Laguna also echoed Cayetano’s observation that only through an impartial hearing devoid of pressure from any group can Congress reach a fair decision on the fate of ABS-CBN’s franchise.
Fernandez, whose home province of Laguna will remain under modified enhanced community quarantine after May 16, said that the interests of Filipinos struggling to survive the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic should be the first priority of Congress at this time.
“Congress will not abandon its task of deciding on the issue of ABS-CBN’s franchise. But what we should keep in mind is that we have other more important and urgent concerns, such as addressing the impact of COVID-19 on our economy and our people, that we need to resolve first,” Fernandez said.
Puno said the House needs to attend to its job of saving lives and helping businesses survive the COVID-induced crisis, and should not be pressured by any group into diverting its attention from this responsibility.
“We are all aware that the issue of ABS-CBN’s franchise is an important one that affects the future of many employees. However, we should clearly define our priorities at this critical time–and that priority is for the House of Representatives to develop a comprehensive recovery plan that will ensure that no Filipino is left behind in our efforts to reenergize our economy and rebuild communities after COVID-19,” Puno said.
Abu said that those clamoring for the House to immediately discuss the ABS-CBN franchise should be reminded that a hearing does not mean that this issue would be promptly resolved.
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He added that defeating the COVID-19 pandemic and helping Filipinos get back on their feet following this crisis should be the utmost priority of Congress.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, meanwhile, filed Senate Bill No. 1530 which provides for the non-expiration of a franchise as long as the application for its renewal has been filed.
The senator made the proposal a week after ABS-CBN shut down its operations following the expiration of its legislative franchise on May 4.
"We should prevent similar incidents from happening again in the future. We cannot afford to wake up one day without water, electricity or public transportation, only because an agency, a department or a branch of government failed to act on the renewal before the lapse of the license or franchise," Drilon said.
SBN 1530 amends Section 18, Book VII, Chapter 3 of Revised Administrative Code, which provides for the non-expiration of a license where the licensee has filed a timely and sufficient application for renewal until a final determination by the agency is made. The amendment expands the provision to also include franchises granted by Congress.
Drilon's proposed amendment will ensure that a license or franchise will not expire until the application for renewal has been acted upon by the agency, department, or branch of government that grants or renews such license or franchise.
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