HOUSE SPEAKER GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO GIVES CRYPTIC COMMENT ABOUT ABS-CBN’S FRANCHISE RENEWAL

• House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo gave a cryptic comment about the fate of the franchise of ABS-CBN Corp.
• House Bill No. 4349, which seeks to renew the network’s franchise has been pending and will have to be refiled in the next Congress
• However, President Rodrigo Duterte may oppose the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN in Congress

Former President and outgoing House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo only gave a cryptic comment about the fate of the franchise of broadcasting giant ABS-CBN Corp. which will expire in March 2020.

“I have no comment. Congress is finished. Our sessions are over,” Arroyo said in an ambush interview following the unveiling of the “No. 1” sculpture outside of the Legislative Library, Archives and Museum Building at the House of Representatives on June 13.

House Bill No. 4349, which seeks to renew the radio-television network’s franchise for another 25 years, has been pending with the committee on legislative franchises since November 16, 2016. It was filed on November 10 of the same year by Nueva Ecija 2nd District Rep. Micaela Violago and by former Davao City Congressman and now Cabinet Sec. Karlo Alexei Nograles under House Bill No. 8163.

Pending bills will have to be refiled at the next Congress, which will be on July 22, 2019.

Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, who is a member of the House Committee on Legislative Franchises, said Congress has no intention of freezing any franchise application.

“What happened was that deliberations on the franchise were not completed until adjournment of the 17th Congress, so it has to be filed again in the 18th Congress,” he added.

A legislative franchise committee member, however, revealed that no actions have been made to renew ABS-CBN franchise since President Rodrigo Duterte has complaints against the station.

“They have to thresh out and resolve their issues with the President. That’s the key to get the bill moving,” the anonymous lawmaker said.

Duterte has said on many occasions that he will oppose the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN in Congress.

Duterte has slammed ABS-CBN for allegedly refusing to run his paid advertisement during the 2016 election campaign and showing instead an ad critical of him paid for by his staunch critic, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.

Duterte said in November 2018 that he will likely not sign a bill renewing ABS-CBN’s broadcast franchise.

“ABS-CBN’s franchise has been there for 25 years. The law said it’s okay, only if you adhere to journalistic standards. What did you do to us? Estafa, swindling, not only me, but Chiz Escudero, many of us. Son of a bitch, you collected outright then you commit estafa,” Duterte said.

ABS-CBN’s competitor GMA Network Inc.’s franchise, however, was renewed as Duterte signed Republic Act No. 10925 into law in April 2017.

https://www.lionheartv.net/2019/06/house-speaker-gloria-macapagal-arroyo-gives-cryptic-comment-about-abs-cbns-franchise-renewal/

CHR concerned on reported ‘freezing’ of ABS-CBN’s franchise bill

The Commission on Human Rights expressed deep concern on the reported move of the House of Representatives to “freeze” the bill that seeks to renew the legislative franchise of media and entertainment giant ABS-CBN Corp.

In a statement Friday, CHR spokesperson Jacqueline De Guia said the services provided by the Lopez-owned broadcasting firm are “beyond the whims of politics.”

“If the network has committed any violation, it must be tackled through due process,” De Guia said.

She added: “Non-renewal can be tantamount to shutting down the network. If an entire media giant would be toppled down due to a political caprice, it could signal the beginning of a bleaker state of press freedom in the country and a catapult to the wave of previous assaults to media.”

The STAR reported that House Bill 4349, which proposes to extend the Lopez-owned broadcasting firm’s franchise by another 25 years, had been pending at the committee level since November 2016. The franchise of ABS-CBN expires on March 30, 2020.

The STAR added the House Committee on Legislative Franchises did not submit a report on the franchise bill before the 17th Congress adjourned its third and last session.

ABS-CBN said Thursday it cannot comment on speculations surrounding the bill.

In August last year, President Rodrigo Duterte said he was personally against the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise as he accused the media company of swindling him.

In 2017, Duterte slammed ABS-CBN and newspaper The Philippine Daily Inquirer for their supposed “unfair” and “slanted” reporting of his administration.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/06/14/1926407/chr-concerned-reported-freezing-abs-cbns-franchise-bill

Full migration to digital TV doable by 2023, says DICT

The Philippines is on track with its full migration to digital television, Information and Communications Technology Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio said.

Rio is satisfied with the progress he is seeing so far from all stakeholders involved.

“So far there are no major complaints or anyone saying that it is not doable. So we are really on track. Now, almost all the television sets in the market are digital-ready,” Rio said.

Rio admitted the country’s digital shift is behind most countries, mostly due to its late start and the lack of availability of digital-ready TV sets in the past.

According to the DICT chief, broadcast stations are also embarking on their respective initiatives to comply with the full migration plan by 2023.

ABS-CBN Corp. is so far one step ahead of the competition with its continuing digital transformation initiatives.

As of February, the company sold seven million ABS-CBN TVplus units since its launch in 2015.

It also unveiled early this month a mobile version of ABS-CBN TVplus in the form of a dongle, called the ABS-CBN TVplus Go, which allows Filipinos on-the-go to watch shows available on networks broadcasting in digital anytime and anywhere.

GMA Network, for its part, signed last January a technology, content, and distribution agreement with PLDT and Smart Communications which will involve the launch of game-changing innovations that will power the TV network’s digital transformation.

GMA plans to launch its own digital device in the second half.

The affordable and compact end-user device called MyGMA Go  can act as a digital TV receiver when connected to an Android smartphone.

Complimentary to this device is a mobile application that can be downloaded from the Google Play Store where users can watch GMA’s exclusive channels and other free-to-air channels without a need for an active internet connection.

The DICT launched in 2017 its digital terrestrial television broadcasting migration plan which aims to have 95 percent of the country’s households switch to digital television by 2023.

By 2023, the analog system would be switched off completely and would be replaced by digital television transmission.

https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/06/14/1926140/full-migration-digital-tv-doable-2023-says-dict