Salceda on filing ABS-CBN franchise bill: It’s the right thing to do

Albay 2nd Dist. Rep. Joey Salceda (INQUIRER file photo)

MANILA, Philippines — Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda has clarified that he has been supportive of proposals to grant media company ABS-CBN a new franchise and that he filed a franchise bill on his own.

In a statement on Friday, Salceda said ABS-CBN is correct in saying that the network did not ask him to file a bill for a 25-year franchise.

According to the lawmaker, he felt it was the right thing to do, especially since he has co-authored past bills on the ABS-CBN franchise.

“ABS-CBN is right that they did not ask me to file a franchise. The leadership also did not. I filed it with the conviction that it is the right thing to do.  I have been a co-author of the ABS-CBN franchise since 2019. Unfortunately, I was not a member of the Committee on Legislative Franchises,” he said.

Franchise renewal bill

Last January 7, Salceda filed House Bill No. 11252, seeking to give ABS-CBN a new 25-year franchise — five years since the House of the 18th Congress denied the network a new franchise.

Salceda said the non-renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise cost around 11,000 direct jobs and information problems during a critical period in the country’s fight against the pandemic.

ABS-CBN, in a statement released a day after, said they are not aware of Salceda’s bill but nonetheless thanked the lawmaker and other House members who have previously filed bills about ABS-CBN’s franchise.

Issues addressed

Salceda said that he believes the issues hurled at ABS-CBN — tax evasion and foreign ownership — have been addressed and clarified even when the House of Representatives in the 18th Congress discussed the issue.

“This Congress, I thought it best to add my voice to the conversation as a principal author. I based my decision on three things:  First, the BIR is on record in the 18th Congress as having said that the network does not have pending tax deficiencies.  Second, the Securities and Exchange Commission also said that there is no pending case against supposed foreign ownership of the company,” he said.

“Third, we have enacted the Public Service Act and Foreign Investment Act amendments after the franchise renewal was rejected. These laws give us adequate mechanisms to review and correct foreign ownership issues, if they really exist.  If there are other concerns about the network, or allegations that need to be discussed, the proper forum is a Congressional hearing,” he added.

Looking back…

Last May 4, 2020, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) released a cease and desist order against ABS-CBN, ordering it to stop broadcasts as it no longer has a franchise.

Deliberations went on, but the House of the 18th Congress officially slammed the door on a new franchise last July 10, when lawmakers from the House committee on legislative franchises — including House officials acting as ex-officio members — voted in favor of a resolution that deprived the network of a franchise.

Critics of then president Rodrigo Duterte speculated that ABS-CBN’s shutdown was triggered by its critical coverage of president, who, however,  maintained that he had nothing to do with it. 

In December 2019, however, Duterte reiterated his threat to block ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal, saying the television network should not expect its franchise to be renewed.

Shutdown woes

When ABS-CBN was shut down, residents of  remote areas complained about failing to receive the latest news due to the shutdown of the network’s regional TV stations.

Former vice president Leni Robredo in December 2021 said that Typhoon Odette victims shared the same sentiment, claiming that the lack of ABS-CBN’s wide coverage during typhoons and other calamities also made it difficult for them to call or appeal for help and assistance.