ABS-CBN’s franchise should be renewed

THERE is no love lost between ABS-CBN, the country’s largest radio and television network, and me but I support measures seeking the renewal of its franchise.

The network’s franchise is set to expire on March 30.

Oh, yes, the network’s management has become hubristic, even abusive, but should that be reason enough for the Duterte administration to cancel its franchise?

If ABS-CBN’s franchise is not renewed, the country will become a pariah to the rest of the free world because the government would be projecting an image that it’s muzzling the media, albeit inadvertently.

I agree with the statement of Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, chairman of the committee on constitutional amendments, that the ABS-CBN’s franchise should be renewed as a matter of right.

“Congress must uphold the Constitution to ensure press freedom,” said Rodriguez.

I beg to disagree with Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez who said the network’s franchise was a “matter of privilege and not a right.”

Alvarez, who heads the committee on legislative franchises, said the issue of press freedom was irrelevant to the discussions on whether to renew the network’s franchise.

“There is no attempt to muzzle or control the media here. So this is not a press freedom issue. We should be reminded that under the law, the grant of a franchise is not a right but a privilege,” Alvarez.

Granted that the grant of a franchise is not a right but a privilege, as Alvarez contends.

But the issue also boils down to press freedom since ABS-CBN is a harsh critic of the President.

The network is just performing an adversarial role towards the administration, which is the role of the entire media establishment vis-å-vis the government.

Now, if the network’s franchise is not renewed on account of it being a harsh critic of the administration then its constitutional right to free expression will be violated.

It’s common knowledge that the House of Representatives, which is deliberating on the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise, is dominated by allies of the Duterte administration.

Even if the voting is fair and square against the renewal of the franchise, still the suspicion can’t be removed that the network’s fate was doomed because it was not friendly with the Duterte government.

It reeks of vendetta.

Let it not be said that Rodrigo Roa Duterte is a vindictive president and, therefore, a pusillanimous soul.

Duterte is so unlike Cory Aquino and her son Noynoy who persecuted their political enemies; Cory persecuted the Marcoses and Noynoy his predecessor, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Noynoy could not forget Gloria’s order to redistribute his family-owned Hacienda Luisita among the tenant-farmers, as provided for under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law.

I know the Digong up close and personal: he is magnanimous.

He readily forgave a billionaire tycoon whose company supported his rival for the mayoralty of Davao City after I interceded with him on behalf of the businessman.

Digong’s bluster against ABS-CBN is just venting for the raw deal he got from the network when it didn’t air his commercials during the 2016 presidential campaign even though they had already been paid for.

Let’s give Digong time for his anger to subside.

He knows that if ABS-CBN’s franchise is not renewed, he will go down in history as a vindictive despot like the Aquinos, purportedly devout Catholics, who would not forgive their enemies.

* * *

Digong’s beef with ABS-CBN does not just stem from the presidential campaign; it goes deeper.

The network’s owners, the Lopezes, are ingrates to Digong.

When the Lopezes applied for a permit to operate a cable network in Davao City, they asked then Mayor Rody Duterte how much it would take for them to be granted a permit.

The Lopezes thought Duterte would shake them down as other mayors did when they applied for permits for their cable network in other areas.

Instead, Digong granted them a permit without spending a single centavo “for the boys.”

The Lopezes should have borne in mind the favor that Digong had done for them when it was Digong’s time to seek their help when he ran for president.

The help did not mean a free ride on ABS-CBN as Digong and his supporters paid for the political ads in advance.

The Lopezes did not return the favor that Digong granted to them.

But Digong was not vindictive towards the Lopezes.

What did he do after he won the presidency?

He even appointed one of the Lopezes, Gina, secretary of environment and natural resources.

* * *

Digong will soon forgive ABS-CBN as I have forgiven the Philippine Daily Inquirer for easing me out as a columnist because I am a rabid Duterte ally.

The Inquirer’s purported reason was that I had become a government official on account of my appointment as special envoy to China for public diplomacy.

But the truth is the position of special envoy is just honorific, it does not carry remuneration.

The Inquirer’s hatred for Digong spilled over to me because I’m his close friend and supporter.

On at least three occasions during the presidential campaign, my column items about candidate Rodrigo Duterte were not published because I wrote glowingly about him.

As we all know, the Inquirer is a Yellow paper, Yellow in the sense that it was founded after the assassination of Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., whose supporters adopted for their theme song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree” during the anti-dictatorship protests that followed the assassination.

So, everything related to Ninoy — his wife Cory, son Noynoy abnoy kuyakoy and the principles of the Yellow Cult — is embraced by the paper.

It so happened that candidate Manuel “Mar” Roxas 2nd, Digong’s rival for the presidency, was a Yellow.

The Inquirer saw red, no pun intended, when I supported Duterte against Roxas.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/01/18/opinion/columnists/topanalysis/abs-cbns-franchise-should-be-renewed/675248/