NTC cease and desist order won’t affect decision on ABS-CBN franchise — solon

MANILA, Philippines — The cease and desist order (CDO) stopping the broadcast operations of Sky Direct as well as the digital television transmission through TV Plus via Channel 43 of media giant ABS-CBN will not have any effect on the decision of the House of Representatives on ABS-CBN’s franchise bid, a House leader said.

In an interview with INQUIRER.net, Bulacan 1st District Rep. Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado, who chairs the House committee on good government and public accountability, said the CDO will only have implications on the users of these services, but not on the hearings being conducted as part of ABS-CBN’s bid for a 25-year franchise.

Sy-Alvarado’s committee handles the ABS-CBN franchise issue, together with the House committee on legislative franchises which is chaired by Palawan 1st District Rep. Franz Alvarez.

“Hindi ko makita yung pagkakaiba ng pagkakaroon ng cease and desist o kawalan ng cease and desist dahil alam naman ng karamihan na ang prangkisa ng ABS-CBN ay paso na kaya agad sila binigyan ng order na ‘yan ng NTC at ang pinag-uusapan naman sa hearing na ito, isa sa unang pinag-uusapan sa hearing na ito ay ang pagbibigay o hindi pagbibigay ng panibagong prangkisa sa ABS-CBN,” Sy-Alvarado said.

(I do not see the difference between having and not having a cease and desist order because a lot of people know that the franchise of ABS-CBN has expired that’s why they were earlier issued a CDO by the NTC. What we are talking about in this hearing, one of the things we are talking about, is the franchise bid of ABS-CBN.)

“Walang magiging epekto sa desisyon ng komiteng ito bagamat ito’y may implikasyon sa mga gumagamit o sa mga consumer na bumili na ng blackbox o sa mga subscriber ng Sky Cable, sa kanila na ito magkakaroon ng implikasyon,” the lawmaker added.

(This will not have any effect on the decision of this committee but this will have an implication on the users who have already brought a blackbox or are subscribers of Sky Cable.)

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) issued both orders on Tuesday, just as the House of Representatives continues to tackle several issues against the embattled network.

Some lawmakers have questioned why ABS-CBN continues to air its shows via Channel 43 despite having an earlier CDO which ordered the media giant to stop its broadcast operations after its franchise lapsed on May 4.

In its latest order, the NTC argued that ABS-CBN’s TV Plus was included in the list of radio and TV stations it had ordered shut in its May 5 order.

The commission said it issued the alias cease and desist order after it monitored digital TV transmission on Channel 43. The programs monitored were Cine Mo! Yey!, DZMM Teleradyo, and KBO pay-per-view.

Meanwhile, NTC also ordered Sky Cable Corporation – a subsidiary of ABS-CBN – to “immediately cease and desist operating” its direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service, Sky Direct.

NTC said that the franchise granted to Sky Cable by virtue of Republic Act No. 7969 has expired on May 4.

“Upon the expiration of R.A. No. 7966, Sky Cable Corporation no longer has a valid and subsisting congressional franchise to install, operate and maintain a Direct Broadcast Satellite Service,” the Commission said.

Sky Cable said it would comply with the NTC order but vowed to exhaust all legal remedies to resume its direct broadcast satellite service.

/MUF