Lawmakers eye status quo for ABS-CBN

A congressman is proposing that Congress issue a joint resolution calling on the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to allow ABS-CBN Corp. to continue operations while its franchise is being renewed.

House Committee on Legislative Franchises member and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr. made the proposal after Sen. Mary Grace Poe asked lawmakers to declare verbally or in writing that the media network could still operate even after its 25-year franchise expires on March 30.

Eleven bills seeking the network’s franchise renewal are pending at the House of Representatives. Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said last week the measures might be taken up in May, at the earliest, when session resumes after the Holy Week break.

Cayetano also mentioned in earlier interviews that the network might still operate until the end of the 18th Congress or in 2022.

Garbin said his proposal could “help calm tensions while creating the space and time for solutions for the pending franchises of ABS-CBN Corporation and ABS-CBN Convergence.”

A Joint Concurrent Resolution (JCR) “would give clarity and substance to the emerging consensus that ABS-CBN can continue to operate while the franchise bills are pending in the 18th Congress based on precedents,” he added.

Garbin said Congress could grant a JCR.

“It will also assure the 11,000 workers at ABS-CBN that they still have jobs up until both Houses of Congress have decided on the matter with finality,” he continued.

The JCR “would also be the assurance of Congress to the Filipino people that there will be no vacuum in freedom of expression, creativity and press freedom because of the expiration of the ABS-CBN franchises,” Garbin said.

Like Garbin, Poe wants the welfare of ABS-CBN workers protected by ensuring that the media giant would continue to operate while Congress is still deliberating on its franchise extension.

On Wednesday, Poe filed Senate Resolution 322 directing the Senate Committee on Public Services to conduct an inquiry to determine if ABS-CBN complied with the terms of its franchise.

“Despite their pronouncements that it can be extended until 2022, it would be better if it would be put in writing,” said Poe, chairman of the Senate Public Services panel.

“It is no joke to stop the operation of ABS-CBN because we know that 11,000 jobs will be affected,” she added.

Last week, Solicitor General Jose Calida petitioned the Supreme Court to strip ABS-CBN of its franchise.

He has defended his filing of the petition, saying the Supreme Court is the right venue for the case.

In an interview, Calida said it was clear in Rule 66, Section 7, of the Rules of Court that the high court had “concurrent jurisdiction” over a quo warranto case.

On the issue that the high court must remand the case to the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Regional Trial Court since the high court is not a trier of facts, Calida said the evidence he submitted would bear him out.

He added that the critics of the petition “should look first at the evidence presented.”

“Andun na ‘yung facts (The facts are there). We asked the different government agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission and the National Telecommunications Commission to provide us with the these documents,” he said.

In his petition, Calida alleged that ABS-CBN violated its legislative franchise. He attached documents from the SEC to prove that ABS-CBN sold Philippine Depositary Receipts to non-Filipino entities.

Media entities must be 100 percent Filipino-owned.

ABS-CBN also offered pay-per-view channels, which were supposed to be used for free by the public, Calida argued. DIVINA NOVA JOY DELA CRUZ, BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO AND JOMAR CANLAS

https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/02/17/news/top-stories/lawmakers-eye-status-quo-for-abs-cbn/686521/