Senate hands ABS-CBN reso on provisional authority to NTC

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate on Wednesday turned over to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) a resolution recommending the granting of a provisional authority to ABS-CBN to operate until the end of the 18th Congress.

NTC Deputy Commission Edgardo Cabarios received the resolution and said that upon consultation with the Department of Justice (DOJ), the body would allow ABS-CBN to operate until the end of the 18 Congress, where bills seeking its franchise renewal remain pending.

“We will abide by the advice of the Department of Justice,” Cabarios told reporters in an interview.

Cabarios said the NTC would issue the provisional authority to the network on May 4.

“Kasi the authority (to operate) is still valid until the expiration of the franchise so mai-issue ho yan on May 4. Kasi hindi po pwede ma-issue before the expiration,” he said.

(The authority [to operate] is still valid until the expiration of the franchise so that [provisional authority] may be issued on May 4. We can’t issue the provisional authority before the expiration itself.)

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon welcomed the move of the NTC to allow the media giant to operate until June 2020.

“Natutuwa po ako na sinabi ng commissioner na ang provisional authority ay in effect hanggang June 30 of 2022 dahilan po ‘yan ang jurisprudence dito sa Kongreso. ‘Yan po ang opinyon ng chairperson ng ating committee on public services that the provisional authority should be until the expiration of the life of this Congress and the commissioner just confirmed that now,” Drilon said in a separate interview with reporters.

(I’m glad that the commissioner said that the provisional authority will be in effect until June 30 of 2022 because that is the jurisprudence here in Congress. That is the opinion of the chairperson of the Committee on Public Services that the provisional authority should be until the expiration of the life of this Congress and the commissioner just confirmed that now.)

“That is very important because a shorter provisional authority would subject ABS-CBN to pressure and that is not consistent with freedom of the press,” he added.