Solon eyes grant of provisional franchise to ABS-CBN until June 2022
MANILA, Philippines — Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez on Wednesday broached the idea of granting a provisional franchise to media giant ABS-CBN that will be valid until June 30, 2022, or before the close of the 18th Congress.
“The House of Representatives and the Senate need additional time to review, assess and determine whether or not ABS-CBN shall be granted a new franchise,” Rodriguez said in the joint resolution.
In a separate statement, Rodriguez called on Congress to expedite the hearings on ABS-CBN’s bid for franchise renewal. The 11 franchise renewal bills for the network are still pending before the House committee on legislative franchises.
“I am hoping we can expedite the hearings on this measure amid the COVID-19 pandemic even if we have to hear all stakeholders through the new normal videoconferencing platform,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said also filed a separate measure granting ABS-CBN a new franchise for 25 years.
“It has to be a new grant and no longer a renewal, since the radio-tv station’s franchise already expired midnight of last May 4,” Rodriguez said.
“Now the remedy is for the House to speed up its hearings on my proposals for a temporary franchise and for the grant of a new 25-year broadcasting service privilege,” the lawmaker added.
In February, Rodriguez also filed House Joint Resolution No. 29 seeking to extend the franchise of ABS-CBN for another year until May 4, 2021.
In filing the resolution back in February, Rodriguez said that granting the franchise extension would “give members of Congress enough time to thoroughly study and debate on the bills filed in the House of Representatives.”
Rodriguez likewise proposed that Congress include in any legislative franchise it would grant in the future an authority for the NTC or any concerned regulator to provisionally allow a franchisee with an expired franchise and a renewal application pending with the House to continue operating until its application is rejected.
The NTC on Tuesday ordered ABS-CBN to stop broadcast operations following the media giant’s franchise expiration on May 4.
In an Order dated May 5, the NTC directed ABS-CBN to stop operating its television and radio broadcasting stations nationwide “absent a valid Congressional Franchise required by law.”
The NTC cited Republic Act No. 3846 or the Radio Control Law which states that “no person, firm, company, association, or corporation shall construct, install, establish, or operate a radio transmitting station, or a radio receiving station used for commercial purposes, or a radio broadcasting station, without having first obtained a franchise therefor from the Congress of the Philippines.”
