Labor group favors ABS-CBN franchise renewal

By Leslie Ann Aquino

Labor group Defend Jobs Philippines said Supreme Court justices must vote in favor of the thousands of ABS-CBN workers and for press freedom by immediately denying the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida against the network.

“Once and for all, the Supreme Court must uphold its mandate to use its judicial powers to make the law of the land serve the best interests of the Filipino people and not of those in the sit (sic) of political power,” said Thadeus Ifurung, Defend Job Philippines spokesperson.

The group added that SC justices should vote on the SolGen’s petition according “to their conscience and not through partisan political dictates.”

The labor group said the move of the government was “not just an act to curtail press freedom but an attack against the livelihood of more than 11,000 workers of the Kapamilya network.”

It then reiterated their call for Congress to do their job and start discussing the bills that will grant new legislative franchise to ABS-CBN despite Calida’s petition.

Ifurung said, “Being the leading media network in the country employing more than 10,000 workers, the non-renewal and shutdown of ABS-CBN will mean massive termination in the Philippine labor sector nationwide.”

He added, “While we acknowledge different labor issues of Kapamilya workers, it doesn’t equate to the non-renewal of ABS-CBN franchise as thousands of families still rely their livelihood and source of income to (sic)  the TV and radio network firm.”

Defend Job Philippines also urged President Duterte to resolve its rift with the ABS-CBN management in proper venues and must stop using the legislative franchise and the job security issue of ABS-CBN workers as hostage to his plans of going after the TV network.

Since 2018, President Duterte has been vocal on the supposed failure of ABS-CBN to air his presidential campaign advertisements in 2016, which was duly paid for.

According to Defend Jobs Philippines, being the country’s largest TV network, ABS CBN employs 6,730 regular employees, 900 non-regular workers and more than 3,325 talents since the end of 2018 citing the company’s report to the Securities and Exchange Commission and Philippine Stocks Exchange.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/02/10/labor-group-favors-abs-cbn-franchise-renewal/