CITIZEN groups on Sunday urged lawmakers to consider the 11,000 regular and contractual employees of the ABS-CBN as the leadership of the House of Representatives vowed to do an impartial job in considering bills seeking to renew ABS-CBN’s franchise.
Also on Sunday, a leading lawmaker sought a full debate by all 300-plus members of the House on ABS-CBN’s case.
Bantay Konsyumer, Kuryente, Kalsada (BK3); CitizenWatch Philippines (CWP) and Democracy Watch Philippines (DWP) made statements amid what is widely seen as the administration’s crackdown on network giant ABS-CBN.
BK3, through Lead Convenor Louie Montemar, said the revocation of the franchise would lead to a loss of jobs for ABS-CBN’s 6,730 regular employees—a threat not just to the workers but their entire families, who are all consumers.
CWP convenor Orlando Oxales placed the number of potentially unemployed to 11,000, to include regular and other workers of the network.
Oxales said this would threaten to widen anew the rate of adult joblessness in the country, which had already improved to 17.5 percent in December 2019 from 21.5 percent the previous September.
“Are we this shallow in making decisions?” Montemar said. “Must we trifle with the jobs of the many just because of a personal grudge?” he asked, in apparent reference to President Duterte’s oft-repeated remarks that he will block the franchise of the network even if Congress decides to renew it after its expiration on March 30.
Meanwhile, BK3’s Montemar said investors will have no certainty in doing business here in the Philippines, because regulations can change depending on the whim of the incumbent.
Also, Oxales assailed the usurpation of Congress’s mandate to grant or reject franchises because of the filing by the Office of the Solicitor General last week of a quo warranto petition blocking ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal, citing the network’s alleged viiolation of its franchise.
Eleven bills pending at the House Committee on Legislative Franchises are seeking its renewal.
Moreover, the organizations called upon legislators to exercise their power to renew franchises, to defend the right to a free media and to stand up for their constituents’ right to be truthfully informed.
The groups also assailed Solicitor General Jose Calida’s quo warranto petition against the giant network, saying it threatens the livelihood of thousands of families/ consumers.
While Calida has denied the hand of the President in his move, Duterte has, on several occasions, attacked ABS-CBN, supposedly for not airing his political advertisements during the 2016 campaign.
Open debate—Atienza
Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza said on Sunday said all 302 members of the House should be given the chance to vote on the bill seeking to extend ABS-CBN Corp.’s franchise by another 25 years.
“The entire House should openly debate on the bill, and then vote on it. This will allow every member to be heard, and to freely decide on the franchise,” said Atienza.
“We cannot just wash our hands of the bill. That would be tantamount to Congress renouncing its exclusive power to grant legislative franchises,” he added.
Atienza also rejected as a “pipedream” the claim of some of his colleagues that even without a renewed franchise, ABS-CBN could still operate until March 2022 by obtaining a two-year provisional authority from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
“That is a fantasy. The NTC will simply say we cannot possibly give you a provisional authority because the Chief Lawyer of the republic wants to shut you down,” Atienza said, referring to Calida’s petition before the Supreme Court.
Earlier, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano urged critics and supporters of ABS-CBN to send to the lower chamber their position papers and comments on the proposed renewal of the radio-television network’s broadcasting franchise.
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/02/17/plea-aired-on-full-house-debate-on-abs-cbn/
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