Senators say ABS-CBN’s franchise denial ‘kills’ livelihood of 11,000 workers

MANILA, Philippines — Imposing the “death penalty” on ABS-CBN’s franchise bid also kills the livelihood of its over 11,000 employees, a senator lamented on Friday.

With 70 affirmative votes, the House legislative franchises committee adopted a resolution recommending the denial of ABS-CBN’s franchise application.

“Itong hatol ng kamatayan para sa pinakamalaking estasyon sa bansa ay kamatayan din sa kabuhayan ng higit 11,000 nitong manggagawa at sa lahat ng mga tauhan nito at mga pamilya nila,” Senator Francis Pangilinan said in a statement.

(Imposing this death penalty on the biggest media station in the country also kills the livelihood of its over 11,000 employees and their families.)

Pangilinan likened the fate of ABS-CBN employees to that of the Filipino fishermen who were abandoned at sea after their boat was rammed by a Chinese vessel in June last as well as the thousands of Filipino workers who had to walk to their offices due to the lack of public transportation.

“Ito’y patunay na wala silang pakialam sa karaniwang tao. Patunay na interes ng iilan at hindi ng taumbayan ang inuuna. Ito ba ay patunay na walang maaasahan ang maliliit sa Administrasyon sa gitna ng pinakamatinding krisis ng ating henerasyon?” he said.

(This is proof that they do not care for ordinary citizens. This is proof that personal interests are being prioritized. This is proof that those who hold no power could not depend on the administration in light of the biggest crisis of our generation.)

Senator Joel Villanueva, likewise, underscored the challenges posed by the denial of ABS-CBN’s franchise application to its workers amid the pandemic, which has significantly raised the unemployment rate in the Philippines.

“Lubos tayong nababahala sa kapakanan ng higit na 11,000 na manggagawa at kanilang mga pamilya na maaaring magutom dahil sa kawalan ng trabaho, matapos ang desisyon ng Kongreso ngayong araw,” Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee, wrote on Twitter.

Lubos tayong nababahala sa kapakanan ng higit na 11,000 na manggagawa at kanilang mga pamilya na maaaring magutom dahil sa kawalan ng trabaho, matapos ang desisyon ng Kongreso ngayong araw. Hirap na nga tayong lumikha ng trabaho para sa ating mga manggagawa

— Joel Villanueva (@senatorjoelv) July 10, 2020

(We are extremely concerned for the welfare of the over 11,000 ABS-CBN employees and their families following the decision of the House panel today.)

“Hirap na nga tayong lumikha ng trabaho para sa ating mga manggagawa at magbigay ng tulong sa kanila, nadagdagan pa po ulit ang 7.3 milyong manggagawang walang trabaho ngayong panahon ng pandemya. Malinaw po sana sa atin na manggagawa at ang kanilang mga pamilya ang talo sa desisyon na ito,” he added.

(It’s already hard enough to create jobs and provide assistance to Filipino workers during a crisis and now this decision will add up to the 7.3 million Filipinos who are jobless amid the pandemic. It is clear that ABS-CBN workers and their families are on the losing end of this decision.)

He then called on the government to ensure that measures would be in place to help the affected workers and their respective families.

For Senator Sonny Angara, the effects of the rejection of the media company’s franchise “will surely be felt by our country and the economy.”

“Sad day for many reasons. Thousands will be out of work and will have no new jobs in this economy to apply for, with the biggest companies retrenching,” he added.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senators Nancy Binay, Risa Hontiveros and Grace Poe also expressed their worry over what the future may hold for the employees of the embattled network.

“The ABS-CBN as an institution can survive this episode, no doubt, but the people whose livelihood depends on the network are the real casualties of this unfortunate and politically-charged event,” Drilon said in an earlier statement. [ac]