Atienza to colleagues: Act on franchise or resign

By Raymund Antonio 

Buhay Representative Lito Atienza on Tuesday asked his colleagues in Congress to act now on the franchise renewal application of media giant ABS-CBN Corp. or step down from their posts.

Speaking to media at the weekly Pandesal Forum in Quezon City, Atienza said that lawmakers should fulfill their mandate instead of leaving the matter to the Supreme Court.

“I’m defending the position that Congress must function. We must take up the franchise, whether you’re for or against is not material to me,” he said.

“I don’t want ABS-CBN to close down without Congress voting for it,” he stressed.

Atienza is not convinced his fellow lawmakers are still too busy with other concerns for them to tackle bills renewing the ABS-CBN’s franchise.

The partylist lawmaker called out House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez, chairman of the House Committee on Legislative Franchises, for refusing to work on the franchise renewal.

“That’s despicable, condemnable when Congress says we can’t handle a very important matter because we have to attend to so many things. There are many congressmen who want to work,” he said.

The broadcast network’s 25-year legislative franchise is set to expire on March 30.

Cayetano, however, assured that ABS-CBN can operate way past the expiration date as long as the 18th Congress has not yet adjourned.

His assurance was in contrast to the reaction of Atienza, who called it just the House leader’s “razzle dazzle game.”

“They are made to believe that you only need now is a special permit and you can continue. Speaker Cayetano said they are good up to 2022, that’s not legally tenable. If you don’t have a franchise, your license is expired,” he said.

Former congressman Renato Diaz, who was also a guest in the media forum, shared the same view, saying that it’s  ”game over” for ABS-CBN if it fails to get its franchise renewed in Congress.

“Can anybody air without a franchise? The answer is no. In the name of press freedom, no,” he said.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/02/18/atienza-to-colleagues-act-on-franchise-or-resign/