Recto presides over session: Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto presides over the approval of a bill on alternative learning system as well as the adoption of resolutions honoring the late Sen. Heherson Alvarez and the use of teleconference during plenary sessions and hearings on national emergencies Monday, May 4, 2020. (Henzberg Austria/ Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines—Senator Ralph Recto said on Saturday that ABS-CBN has majority support in the Senate as the broadcast giant bids to get back on air following National Telecommunications Commission’s cease and desist order.
Recto, the Senate President pro tempore, said that a possible “two-thirds” or 16 senators would vote for the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise for another 25 years.
“Siguradong malaki ang mayorya, hindi ko masasabing unanimous pero posibleng two-thirds ang makuha nito,” said Recto in an interview with DWIZ.
(I can’t say that there will be a unanimous vote in the Senate but I will say that there’s a possibility that two-thirds will vote for the renewal.)
Recto said he believes President Rodrigo Duterte will sign the franchise renewal once it passes the Congress.
“Palagay ko naman pag pumasa sa Kongreso pipirmahan niya ito (I think he’ll sign this once it passes in the Congress),” said Recto.
A total of 13 senators have already filed Senate Resolution No. 395 “expressing the sense of the Senate to urge the NTC to reconsider its cease and desist order against ABS-CBN Corporation and to allow the continuous operation of ABS-CBN Corporation, its subsidiaries and affiliates ABS-CBN Convergence Inc., Sky Cable Corporation, and the AMCARA Broadcasting Networking, Inc., pending the disposition of its franchise renewal.”
Recto, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, and Senators Risa Hontiveros, Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, Pia Cayetano, Sherwin Gatchalian, Leila de Lima, Lito Lapid, Manny Pacquiao, Francis Pangilinan, and Joel Villanueva signed and filed the resolution.
Recto also slammed NTC’s decision to shut ABS-CBN down during the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected 10,610 individuals and killed 704 people in the country as of May 9.
“Palagay ko ang pagpapasara ng ABS ay hindi makakatulong sa giyerang yan. Nakakasama pa kasi we’re dividing the attention of our people.”
(I think the closing of ABS wasn’t helpful in the war against COVID-19. It was even detrimental because we’re dividing the attention of our people.)
He called on the two houses of Congress to work on a solution on the franchise renewal as fast as possible so they could focus on a bigger fight against the pandemic.
“May sapat na oras para maipasa ‘yan between now and June kaya kung gugustuhing gawin, magagawa. Tapusin na natin ang problemang ito para lahat tayo all hands on deck para labanan ang mas malaking problema na COVID-19,” said Recto. “This is one of the biggest challenges of our lifetime.”
(There’s enough time between now and June so if we put our efforts into it, we can really do it. Let’s finish this problem so we can be all hands on deck to fight the bigger problem that is COVID-19.)