House panel adopts call for NTC to give ABS-CBN provisional authority

ABS-CBN gate (INQUIRER.net file photo)

MANILA, Philippines — The House committee on legislative franchises on Tuesday adopted the order for the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to grant media giant ABS-CBN provisional authority to operate, effective on May 4, 2020.

During the first hearing of the House committee on legislative franchises on the franchise renewal bid of ABS-CBN, Occidental Mindoro Rep. Josephine Ramirez-Sato raised a motion for the panel to adopt the letter sent by House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and committee chair Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez to NTC.

The said letter orders the NTC to grant media giant ABS-CBN provisional authority to operate, effective on May 4, 2020 “until such time that the House of Representatives/Congress has made a decision on its application.”

“In view of this. I, therefore, move that the letter as concurred be adopted by this committee as the official position of this committee,” Sato said.

Cayetano and Alvarez also urged the NTC to grant the same provisional authority to the subsidiaries of ABS-CBN Corp. — such as ABS-CBN Convergence, Inc., Sky Cable Corp., and Amcara Broadcasting Network, Inc.

The subsidiaries and affiliates also have pending franchise renewal applications before the House Committee on Legislative Franchises.

“Please include in their respective provisional authorities terms and conditions you deem appropriate to protect public interest consistent with applicable laws, rules, and regulations,” the letter states.

Edited by JPV