NUJP hands over 200K signatures to Senate calling for swift action on ABS-CBN franchise

NUJP chair Nonoy Espina hands over to Senator Grace Poe the group’s petition, which has garnered over 200,000 signatures, calling on Congress to immediately pass the bill seeking the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise. Photos by Christia Ramos/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) on Monday handed over its petition, which currently has over 200,000 signatures, to the Senate calling on Congress to immediately pass the bill renewing the franchise of ABS-CBN.

NUJP chairman Nonoy Espina personally gave Senator Grace Poe the group’s petition ahead of her panel’s hearing on the network’s franchise, which the government’s top lawyer has sought to be revoked through a quo warranto petition before the Supreme Court.

READ: SolGen asks SC to scrap franchise of ABS-CBN

“Naisip namin na kailangan yung boses ng taumbayan ay kasama sa panawagan na ipatuloy yung ABS-CBN (We thought that the voice of the Filipino public is needed on calls for ABS-CBN to continue its operations). It’s not because of ABS-CBN but because of greater issue of freedom of the press and of expression,” Espina told reporters before he handed over the petition to Poe.

“Pag pinasara mo yun, isang malaking boses sa kasalukuyang palitan ng ideya at opinyon ang mawawala and that’s nakakatakot yun para sa demokrasya, it will create a chilling effect,” he added.

(If you close it down, a big part of the ongoing exchange of ideas and opinions will be gone and that is scary for democracy, it will create a chilling effect).

According to Espina, the signatures NUJP was able to gather were through the online platform change.org, majority of which were from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

“So far we have collected more than 200,000 signatures, karamihan ‘yan actually ay nasa online at maraming pumipirma dun sa petition, sa change.org, na actually, mga OFWs. Dahil I think, ito mahalaga sa kanila e yung direct lifeline nila sa bansa. Sa mga programs,” the NUJP chair said.

(So far we have collected more than 200,000 signatures, most of which are actually through online, many of those who signed through change.org are actually OFWs. Because, I think, this is important to them, their direct lifeline to the country. To the programs.

“Nakasanayan na rin ng mga kababayan natin yan na lifeline yun sa pakikibalita, kung anong nagaganap sa bansa, pati yung mga programang nakakabigay naman ng tuwa sa kabila ng kanilang pagsisikap, so it’s a big part of life actually of millions of Filipinos,” he added.

(Our countrymen are used to this lifeline — they get their news from ABS-CBN, what is happening in our country, as well as the programs which provide entertainment amid their hardships, so it’s a big part of life actually of millions of Filipinos).

Espina said this petition would show Congress that there is “popular clamor for renewing the franchise.”

“Although we haven’t reached…malayo pa naman sa one million na (it’s still far from our one million) target pero (but) I am sure anyone will agree na 200,000 signatures is not a small thing either,” he added.

The Senate will tackle ABS-CBN’s franchise, which is set to expire on March 30, 2020 while the House of Representatives has yet to act on pending bills seeking its renewal.

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