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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 13) – Media giant ABS-CBN is one step closer to resuming broadcast operations after the House of Representatives passed a second reading bill on Wednesday granting the network a provisional franchise.
The proposed measure, sponsored by Speaker of the House of Representatives Alan Peter Cayetano, seeks to allow ABS-CBN to operate until October 31, 2020, as Congress deliberates on whether to grant it a new 25-year franchise.
The bill must be approved in the third and last reading and sent to the Senate. After both houses agree on a proposal, the bill will be sent to President Rodrigo Duterte for enactment.
ABS-CBN went off the air on May 5 following a closure order from the National Telecommunications Commission, one day after the expiration of its franchise. Both the NTC and the House have been blamed for the network shutdown, as the regulator previously promised to grant it provisional authority, while the lower house declined to address bills on the renewal of its franchise.
Cayetano said it was “not yet the time” to address problems related to ABS-CBN operations, but emphasized that the House must “do the right thing.” It was “wrong for the government” to stop network radio and television broadcasts amid the coronavirus pandemic, Cayetano said.
He reiterated that the NTC should not have breached its previous statement under oath that it would grant ABS-CBN provisional authority to operate following a request from the House and Senate.
Cayetano also beat Attorney General José Cálida for his “unconstitutional meddling” when he warned that a provisional permit could expose NTC commissioners to corruption charges.
However, Cayetano also blamed ABS-CBN for immediately going off the air following the NTC order. He called it a “strategy”.
“Maybe you wanted to humble yourself before the law, maybe ninyong magpaawa taste (you are looking for sympathy), “he said.
He called on the network, its employees and celebrities, along with its media supporters and even the House, to stop calling for an automatic franchise renewal and let Congress do its job.
“We will provide ABS-CBN with a provisional franchise valid for October 31, 2020, within which both the House of Representatives and the Senate will listen to the questions raised in favor and against the renewal, and we will evaluate, with complete impartiality and equity , whether or not the network will be granted a franchise, “Cayetano said.
Vice President Luis Raymund Villafuerte, one of the authors of the bill, said a deadline has been set for them to finally make a decision on the fate of ABS-CBN in October.
TIMETABLE: ABS-CBN franchise
The senators welcomed the House move, saying ABS-CBN may eventually get a franchise, depending on how fast their counterparts’ deliberations are going.
The ABS-CBN shutdown grabbed international headlines, as more than 11,000 media workers may lose their jobs as the world fights COVID-19.
It was widely criticized as an attack on press freedom, as President Rodrigo Duterte had publicly threatened ABS-CBN for the network’s refusal to carry its campaign commercials in 2016.
Duterte previously accepted an apology from ABS-CBN. His spokesman, Harry Roque, said Duterte is “completely neutral” regarding the renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise, and that lawmakers should decide on it without worrying about how the president would feel.
López’s property network previously requested the Supreme Court to declare the NTC cease and desist order for violating his right to due process, equal protection of the laws and freedom of expression “null and void”.
CNN Philippines’ Xianne Arcangel contributed to this report.
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