Lacson: For House to sit on pending bills ‘reeks of abdication’

Sen. Panfilo Lacson (EDWIN BACASMAS)

MANILA, Philippines—  Senator Panfilo Lacson has  criticized    the House of  Representatives  for sitting on bills pending before the lower chamber.

Among the proposed legislation the House has yet to act on is  the controversial  franchise of  ABS-CBN Corp., which is set to expire  on May 4 this year, and not on  March  30 as earlier reported.

“After all is said and heard, there is no changing the reality that the Supreme Court will decide if violations of the franchise law were committed and Congress has the power to grant or deny the franchise,” Lacson said in a Twitter post  Monday night.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1232590/senators-assert-jurisdiction-legality-of-senate-probe-on-abs-cbns-franchise

The senator  was  apparently referring to the hearing of the Senate committee on public  services  on ABS-CBN’s  compliance  with the terms and conditions  of its own franchise.

“But for the House to sit on pending bills reeks of abdication,”  Lacson went on.

Lacson was notably absent  during Monday’s  hearing  of the committee headed  by Senator Grace Poe.

Poe’s panel also tackled  Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon’s joint resolution, which seeks to extend the franchise  until  December  31, 2022 or while the franchise bill  is pending  at the 18th  Congress.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1229747/drilon-files-resolution-extending-abs-cbn-franchise-until-2022