2 Cebu solons deny backing Cayetano’s stand on ABS-CBN franchise

MANILA, Philippines — Two Cebu lawmakers denied being part of the supposed stand of the Visayas bloc of the House of Representatives supporting Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on the franchise renewal issue of media giant ABS-CBN, which remains pending in the lower chamber.

During Tuesday’s House session, Cebu 1st District Rep. Raul del Mar denied that the Visayas bloc met and agreed on a stand on the franchise renewal bid of ABS-CBN.

Over the weekend, Cebu 5th District Rep. Vincent Franco Frasco, who chairs the House Committee on Visayas Development, said: “My fellow Visayas Representatives stand solidly behind Speaker Alan in observing the protocol and courtesy due to our fellow representatives in the Committee on Franchises before whom the ABS-CBN franchise matter has been dispensed.”

But Del Mar insisted that “no position has been taken by the Visayas Bloc as a group on the ABS-CBN issue.”

“Reports in the media and in other forums, attributed to a fellow congressman from Cebu, are therefore not true and have no basis in fact. Not a shred of truth in it,” Del Mar said.

“For myself, I know I did not express support to the purported view of the Visayas Bloc. I know the Visayas Bloc did not meet, did not call a meeting, did not even attempt to meet over the ABS-CBN issue,” he added.

Del Mar expressed beliefs that ABS-CBN “should be given its day in Congress and its day in court.”

Del Mar earlier filed a joint resolution seeking to extend the franchise of ABS-CBN until the end of the 18th Congress in June 2022.

“I — and my colleagues — may just have to pin our hopes that the Honorable Speaker will be faithful to the vow and promise he has repeatedly made on various public forums, that ABS-CBN will be given a fair hearing, to inform us legislators on the merits of its application; and that until the said hearing is completed and the vote taken, the broadcast network will be allowed to continue its operations,” Del Mar said.

Meanwhile, another lawmaker from Cebu denied the supposed stand of the Visayas bloc.

“This representation would like to express his disappointment over the press statement issued by our colleague, a fellow Cebuano legislator from the fifth district of Cebu province Cong. Duke Frasco, to the effect of grossly misrepresenting, in a way, by saying that almost all the 48, if not the 48, congressmen from the Visayas are supportive in the direction of the Speaker in delaying or in not acting immediately on the renewal of the franchise of ABS-CBN,” Cebu 2nd District Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa said.

According to Abellanosa, he is one of the House lawmakers who signed House Resolution No. 639 urging the House committee to “report out without further delay for plenary action” a consolidated version of the bills on ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal.

“This is deplorable because I have made a stand that this matter of the renewal of the franchise of ABS-CBN must be acted upon immediately because I feel sometimes — I feel challenged by some of my constituents who confront me why is the House of Representatives not doing anything despite the call of the President himself for Congress to act on it, despite the call of Senator Bong Go that the House of Representatives must already tackle this issue on the renewal of the franchise,” Abellanosa said.

Abellanosa, however, said that his call for the House Committee on Legislative Franchises to act on the renewal bid of ABS-CBN did not cover shortcutting the process.

The House Committee on Legislative Franchises has formally started the proceedings to tackle ABS-CBN’s bid for franchise renewal by asking stakeholders to submit their position papers.

As to the actual hearing, Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez, who chairs the committee, said the hearings may be done between May and August.

INQUIRER.net has reached out to Frasco for a comment but has yet to receive a response as of posting time.

/atm