MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon filed on Wednesday a concurrent resolution that would allow ABS-CBN to continue to operate pending the renewal of its franchise.
Drilon filed Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 6 expressing the sense of Congress that ABS-CBN Corp. “should be allowed to operate under the terms of its existing franchise pending final determination of the renewal of its franchise by the 18th Congress.”
The said resolution also seeks the issuance by the National Telecommunications Commission of the appropriate provisional authority to the media giant as bills on its franchise renewal remain pending in Congress.
Drilon filed the resolution after the Senate public services committee opened its first hearing on the media giant’s franchise on Monday as the House of Representatives has yet to act on pending bills on its renewal filed before it.
During the hearing, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Congress may authorize the NTC, through a concurrent resolution, to let ABS-CBN continue its operations as bills seeking to renew its franchise for another 25 years remain pending in the 18th Congress.
Drilon pointed out that there are only eight session days remaining before the franchise of ABS-CBN lapses.
“Both the Senate and the House of Representatives need additional time to review and determine whether or not ABS-CBN Corporation shall be granted the renewal of its franchise,” the senator said.
“The Department of Justice has opined that: ‘The grant of a franchise is an exercise of sovereign power and under our Constitution that power is vested in the Congress. By necessary implication, such power of Congress also includes the power to prescribe the rights of the franchisee-applicant pending final determination of the renewal of its franchise by the Congress’,” Drilon’s resolution further read.