ABS-CBN Franchise Timeline

The fate of ABS-CBN Corp. remains uncertain as 11 bills seeking its franchise renewal remain pending in Congress.

Various legal personalities have conveyed different perspectives on whether it can operate past the expiration of the franchise on May 4.

They aired their views after Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) had no power to issue a provisional franchise to the Lopez-owned media giant.

“[The NTC has no jurisdiction over] an applicant who has no existing franchise or has an expired franchise that has not been renewed by Congress by means of an appropriate law,” Lagman noted.

As the broadcast network’s franchise debacle continues, The Manila Times looks back at how the media giant hurdled previous battles for the renewal of its franchise.

June 14, 1950: Bolinao Electronics Corp. (BEC), the predecessor of ABS-CBN, is granted a television franchise under Republic Act (RA) 511.

Oct. 23, 1953: BEC, now renamed Alto Broadcasting System (ABS), launches the first television broadcast in the Philippines through DZAQ-TV Channel 3. It is also the first in Southeast Asia and the second in Asia after Japan to do so. It is owned by former judge Antonio Quirino, the brother of former president Elpidio Quirino.

Feb. 24, 1957: Lawyer and businessman Eugenio Lopez Sr. acquires ABS from the Quirinos.

1958: The operations of Lopez-owned Chronicle Broadcasting Network (CBN) are merged with ABS.

1967: ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. is formed through the merger of ABS and CBN.

June 21, 1969: RA 5730 is enacted into law. It amends RA 511, granting BEC’s temporary permit to ABS-CBN’s franchise.

Sept. 22, 1972: A day after the declaration of Martial Law, ABS-CBN and its affiliate stations are seized.

Sept. 14, 1986: After the People Power Revolution that topples the Martial Law regime, ABS-CBN relaunches its broadcast operations.

March 30, 1995: RA 7966, “An Act Granting the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation a Franchise to Construct, Install, Operate and Maintain Television and Radio Broadcasting Stations in the Philippines” for 25 years is signed into law by President Fidel V. Ramos.

April 19, 1995: RA 7966 is published. The effectivity of ABS-CBN’s franchise comes 15 days after the publication date.

May 4, 1995: The ABS-CBN franchise is deemed effective.

Sept. 11, 2014: Isabela Fourth District Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao files House Bill (HB) 4997 before the 16th Congress. This is the first bill filed seeking to renew ABS-CBN’s franchise for another 25 years. It is referred to the House Committee on Legislative Franchise. ABS-CBN withdraws the application because of “time constraints” and opts to reapply in the 17th Congress.

May 5, 2016: ABS-CBN airs an ad critical of candidate for president Rodrigo Duterte paid for by his critic, former senator Antonio Trillanes 4th.

June 11, 2016: ABS-CBN, through an official statement, says while it opts to file an early renewal application of franchise in September 2014, it decides to withdraw its franchise application because of time constraints. It instead expresses intention to seek renewal in the 17th Congress. It also dismisses “speculative” claims that the franchise will not be renewed after failing to secure it during the 16th Congress.

Nov. 10, 2016: Nueva Ecija Second District Rep. Micaela Violago files HB 4349 before the 17th Congress, the second attempt to renew ABS-CBN’s franchise. It remains pending at the House Committee on Legislative Franchises until the end of the 17th Congress on June 3, 2019.

April 27, 2017: President Duterte threatens to block the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise after accusing the company of “swindling.” He claims that the network did not show his political ads during the 2016 campaign period although his team had paid for the airtime and the network failed to return the payment.

2019

July 7, 2019: Rep. Violago files HB 676, the first bill before the 18th Congress seeking to renew the ABS-CBN franchise. It also remains pending at the committee level since July 23, 2019.

Aug. 6, 2019: Deputy Speaker and Pangasinan Third District Rep. Rosemarie “Baby” Arenas files HB 3521, the second bill seeking to renew the ABS-CBN before the 18th Congress. It remains pending, too, at the committee level since Aug. 13, 2019.

Aug. 8, 2019: Parañaque City Second District Rep. Joy Myra Tambunting files HB 3713, the third bill seeking to renew the ABS-CBN franchise. It also remains pending at the committee level since Aug. 14, 2019.

Aug. 14, 2019: Laguna Third District Rep. Sol Aragones files HB 3947, the fourth bill seeking to renew the ABS-CBN franchise. It remains pending, too, at the committee level since Aug. 27, 2019. Aragones is a former ABS-CBN news reporter and current affairs host.

Sept. 2, 2019: Deputy Speaker and Batangas Sixth District Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto files HB 4305, the fifth bill seeking to renew the ABS-CBN franchise. It also remains pending at the committee level since Sept. 9, 2019.

Nov. 25, 2019: Deputy Speaker and Pampanga Third District Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr.; Deputy Speaker and Surigao del Sur Second District. Rep. Johnny Pimentel; and Oriental Mindoro First District Rep. Salvador Leachon file HB 5608, the sixth bill seeking to renew the ABS-CBN franchise. It remains pending, too, at the committee level since Nov. 27, 2019.

Dec. 4, 2019: Cagayan de Oro Second District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez files HB 5705, the seventh bill seeking to renew the ABS-CBN franchise. It also remains pending at the committee level since Dec. 9, 2019.

Dec. 9, 2019: Occidental Mindoro Rep. Josephine Ramirez-Sato files HB 5753, the eighth bill seeking to renew the ABS-CBN franchise. It remains pending, too, at the committee level since Dec. 11, 2019.

Dec. 3, 2019: President Duterte, in a speech, renews his threat to block the ABS-CBN Corp.’s franchise renewal, saying, “I will see to it that you’re out.”

Dec. 30, 2019: Duterte, in a speech in Cotabato, tells ABS-CBN owners to sell the network because there is no guarantee that it will get a new franchise.

Jan. 6, 2020: Albay First District Rep. Edcel Lagman files House Resolution (HR) 639, urging the committee on legislative franchises to report out without further delay for plenary action a consolidated version of the eight pending bills seeking the renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise. As of February 20, Lagman says, 91 lawmakers have signed the resolution.

Jan. 27, 2020: Bayan Muna Representatives Carlos Isagani Zarate, Ferdinand Gaite and Eufemia Cullamat; ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro; Gabriela Women’s party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas; and Kabataan party-list Rep. Sarah Jane Elago file HB 6052, the ninth bill seeking to renew the ABS-CBN franchise. It also remains pending at the committee level since Feb. 3, 2020.

Jan. 30, 2020: Baguio City Rep. Mark Go files HB 6138, the 10th bill seeking to renew the ABS-CBN franchise. It remains pending, too, at the committee level since Feb. 5, 2020.

Feb. 10, 2020: Solicitor General Jose Calida files a quo warranto petition against ABS-CBN before the Supreme Court, which seeks to strip ABS-CBN of its existing franchise. The Office of the Solicitor General questions the alleged foreign share in the ownership of ABS-CBN, where media entities must be 100-percent Filipino-owned according to the 1987 Constitution.

Feb. 11, 2020: The Supreme Court orders ABS-CBN to comment on the quo warranto petition.

Feb. 13, 2020: Deputy Speaker and Antique Rep. Loren Legarda file HB 6293, the 11th bill seeking to renew the ABS-CBN franchise. It also remains pending at the committee level since Feb. 19, 2020. Legarda is a former news anchor and program host at ABS-CBN.

Feb. 18, 2020: Cebu City First District Rep. Raul Del Mar files House Joint Resolution (HJR) 28 seeking to extend the existing franchise of ABS-CBN until the end of the 18th Congress or on June 30, 2022.

Feb. 18, 2020: Solicitor General Calida asks the Supreme Court through his “very urgent motion for issuance of gag order” to prohibit ABS-CBN from discussing the merits of the quo warranto petition. Calida says both parties should not discuss the quo warranto petition he filed before the tribunal.

Feb. 24, 2020: The Senate Committee on Public Services conducts a hearing to inquire if ABS-CBN violated its franchise. Chief Executive Officer Carlo Katigbak expresses the network’s apology to President Duterte for airing the smear advertisement against him during the 2016 presidential campaign. He says it was not their intention to offend the President.

Feb. 25, 2020: President Duterte accepts ABS-CBN’s apology but says the franchise remains in the hands of Congress and that he cannot ask the Solicitor General to withdraw the quo warranto petition lodged against the network.  Duterte says ABS-CBN should just donate the remaining P2.6 million the network owed his camp for its failure to air his political advertisements.

Feb. 24, 2020: Rep. Alvarez announces that the House Committee on Legislative Franchises has started the proceedings on the 11 pending bills by opening the submission of position papers from the stakeholders and concerned individuals and groups.

Feb. 26, 2020: Rep. Rodriguez files HJR 29 seeking to extend the existing franchise of ABS-CBN for one year or until May 4, 2021.

Feb. 26, 2020: The House of Representatives, through a letter signed by Legislative Franchises Chairman and Palawan First District Rep. Franz Alvarez and concurred in by House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, enjoins the NTC to grant ABS-CBN a provisional authority to operate from May 4, 2020 until the House has made a decision on its franchise renewal.

March 4, 2020: The Senate passes Resolution 344, expressing “the sense of the Senate” authorizing the NTC to grant a provisional authority to ABS-CBN and its subsidiaries to operate until such time Congress passes the franchise bills. Separately, Cayetano also announces that the House Committee on Legislative Franchises will begin taking up the 11 franchise renewal bills on March 10, 2020.

March 10, 2020: The House Committee on Legislative Franchises will start tackling the 11 pending bills seeking to renew the ABS-CBN franchise. The agenda includes re-announcement of submission of position papers, briefing on the ground rules of the hearing and instructions to the NTC.

March 14, 2020: The House of Representatives will suspend session for the Lenten break.

May 4, 2020. Session at the House of Representatives is scheduled to resume. On that day also, RA 7966 granting the 25-year franchise of ABS-CBN is set to expire.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/03/08/news/national/abs-cbn-franchise-timeline/701084/