Solon urges Congress to set hearings on ABS-CBN franchise
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Philippines — As President Rodrigo Duterte repeatedly threatened not to renew the franchise of television network ABS-CBN, one of his staunch allies in Congress expressed his desire for the media conglomerate to continue operating.
In a statement on Friday, Rep. Rufus Rodriguez urged the House Committee on Legislative Franchises, which is chaired by Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez, to set the hearings for the bill he filed for the renewal of ABS-CBN franchise.
The network’s license to operate will expire on March 30, 2020.
Rodriguez asked Alvarez to initiate committee hearings on House Bill No. 5705, which would renew the ABS-CBN franchise for another 25 years along with nine other bills on the same subject matter.
“Congress should always uphold the Constitutional mandate under [Section] 4, [Article] 3 to ensure freedom of the press. I request the hearings to be conducted upon the resumption of session on Jan. 20,” Rodriguez said.
He said he would want the hearings to start soon as the expiration of the television network’s franchise loomed while Congress, which would adjourn in March, only had 24 session days left from Jan. 20 to March 11.
“All authors and stakeholders, especially ABS-CBN, must be heard. Then the committee will have to decide to renew or not to renew,” Rodriguez said.
“But it is not proper not to act on my bill and the other bills. ABS-CBN is the Philippines’ largest media conglomerate in terms of revenue, operating income, net income, assets, equity, market capitalization and number of employees,” he added.
Alvarez earlier assured ABS-CBN that his committee would be “fair and objective” in reviewing the media company’s application for a franchise, stressing though that the franchise was “a privilege, not a right, under the law.”
In his explanatory note on HB 5705, Rodriguez said the television network had been “very big” on corporate social responsibility, helping others and in giving back.
“The late Gina Lopez initiated the Bantay Bata 163, the Bantay Kalikasan and the Kapit Bisig para sa Ilog Pasig Project,” Rodriguez said.
President Duterte has repeatedly warned not to renew ABS-CBN’s franchise as he accused it of biased reporting and for its alleged failure to air his campaign advertisement in the run-up to the presidential elections in 2016 despite being paid by his camp.
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