Push Admin

Lawmakers lament abandonment of ABS-CBN provisional franchise bill

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

MANILA - Some members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday lamented the dropping of a provisional franchise bill for ABS-CBN&#x27;s broadcast operations, after the majority of the House decided instead to hear bills for a 25-year franchise. Rep. Edcel Lagman said the abandonment of the provisional franchise bill will greatly affect the company and its employees.&quot;This abandonment underscores the failure of leadership in the House after no less than Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano principally authored and passionately sponsored the ill-fated interim franchise whose approval was recommended by the &#x27;Committee of the Whole,&#x27; which is rarely constituted,&quot; he said in a statement.&quot;The abandonment of HB No. 6732 quashes the hope for the resumption of ABS-CBN’s operations, albeit on a provisional franchise, for the benefit of the public and the networks’ employees,&quot; Lagman said.According to Lagman, the provisional franchise was an ideal compromise to allow the company to resume operations while deliberations on its full 25-year franchise are ongoing.&quot;There is no overriding reason to abandon HB No. 6732 except for a furtive and sinister outside interference in the discharge of the constitutional duty of the House,&quot; he said.Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, for her part, urged her fellow lawmakers to act on ABS-CBN&#x27;s broadcast franchise renewal as soon as possible for the benefit of the public.&quot;Bakit tila iniiwan natin sa ere ang libo-libong manggagawa ng ABS-CBN na apektado rin ng pandemya?&quot; she said in her manifestation.(Why does it seem like we just left thousands of ABS-CBN employees hanging, when they are also affected by the pandemic?)She added the House of Representatives is doing the public a disservice if it would continue to sit on the issue of the company&#x27;s franchise.&quot;Walang mawawala sa gobyerno at sambayanan sa ngayon kung hahayaan na makabalik sa ere ang ABS-CBN hanggang Oktubre. (The government and the public will not lose anything if we let ABS-CBN to go back on air until October.) On the contrary, the House would be doing a disservice to the Filipino people if it will continue to sit on the network’s franchise, as millions of Filipinos in far-flung areas are deprived of vital news and information amid the pandemic,&quot; Brosas said.Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate, likewise, said the House should act on the matter urgently and prove Congress&#x27; jurisdiction on the issue.&quot;We must act urgently on this matter, as we also similarly act with urgency on the other pressing matters related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the crisis it spawned, in the service of the Filipino,&quot; Zarate said in a statement.Zarate said he, along with other Makabayan lawmakers, filed a bill for the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN, yet he could have voted in favor of the provisional franchise as it would allow the company to resume operations.&quot;Together with the Makabayan representatives, I filed House Bill No. 6052 on January 27, 2020, which bill sought to grant Applicant another 25 years of franchise. Yet, I supported HB 6732, if only to allow ABS-CBN to immediately go back on air while the renewal bills are still being deliberated,&quot; he said.&quot;While I can no longer cast yes vote for House Bill 6732 granting provisional franchise to ABS CBN which would be valid only until October 2020, I now strongly urge my colleagues in Congress, particularly the Committee on Legislative Franchise, to immediately and urgently hear and resolve the renewal bills pertaining to the grant of a fresh franchise to ABS CBN Corporation,&quot; Zarate added.In his proposal last week, Cayetano said granting ABS-CBN <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/13/20/provisional-franchise-for-abs-cbn-will-shield-network-from-political-pressure-cayetano" target="_blank">provisional franchise</a> would allow Congress to focus on response to the coronavirus pandemic and time to thoroughly discuss issues against ABS-CBN. On Monday, lawmakers raised charges ABS-CBN has already answered in a Senate hearing in February, including tax and labor issues of which government officials have themselves cleared the network. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/18/20/abs-cbn-stunned-as-solons-rehash-issues-vs-network">ABS-CBN &#x27;stunned&#x27; as solons rehash issues vs network</a></li></ul>ABS-CBN&#x27;s broadcast operations were halted on May 5 on orders of the National Telecommunications Commission, which issued a cease and desist order after the network&#x27;s franchise lapsed on May 4. Bills for the renewal of ABS-CBN&#x27;s broadcast license have been pending for years. Its shutdown puts at risk some 11,000 jobs, with the network&#x27;s President and CEO Carlo Katigbak telling a Senate hearing earlier Tuesday that it may consider layoffs by August if it remains off the air. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/05/19/20/abs-cbn-may-consider-retrenchment-by-august-if-it-fails-to-resume-airing-ceo">ABS-CBN may &#x27;consider&#x27; retrenchment by August if it fails to resume airing: CEO</a></li></ul>

MANILA - Some members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday lamented the dropping of a provisional franchise bill for ABS-CBN's broadcast operations, after the majority of the House decided instead to hear bills for a 25-year franchise.

MANILA - Some members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday lamented the dropping of a provisional franchise bill for ABS-CBN's broadcast operations, after the majority of the House decided instead to hear bills for a 25-year franchise.