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Senate President Vicente Sotto III spearheaded a new proposal from senators to grant ABS-CBN Corp. a new franchise by introducing an enabling bill on Monday, a move that garnered strong support with several senators who They indicated that they would vote in favor of renewal.
Sotto also said he sees a greater opportunity for the network to regain its franchise in the House of Representatives, as it is under a “new president and officials.”
“Yes. New spokesperson, new officers. It could be a better opportunity,” he said.
He also noted that “television stations have been replacing their news shows with anime. It means that competition is absent and mediocrity is creeping in due to the absence of a strong competitor like ABS-CBN ”.
The Senate leader also played down questions about why the franchise will be renewed since it has already expired. “It could also mean a new franchise,” Sotto III replied, adding that it is “a matter of semantics and you could understand that they used to have one before.”
Senator Juan Edgardo Angara affirmed the support of the majority of the Senate for the renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise, even when he clarified that the enabling bill must come from the House of Representatives.
“We support that, but as you know, it all depends on what the House will do, since it is subject to the origination clause of the Constitution where certain types of bills, including franchise ones, must originate in the House,” he said. Angara.
At the same time, Senator Joel Villanueva confirmed that he signed up as a co-author of the ABS-CBN franchise renewal bill, saying, “I am a co-author of that bill. We all know that ABS-CBN deserves the renewal of its franchise given the service it has provided to the Filipino people. “
When asked if he would support the ABS-CBN franchise bill, Senate Minority Leader Frank Drilon responded, “Yes. But we cannot address it in the Senate, unless the House approves it first. “
However, Drilon dodged when asked if he thought the renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise has a chance of being approved under the new leadership in the House of Representatives, saying only that it “depends on President Duterte.
For her part, Senator Grace Poe, who chairs the Senate Public Services Committee that grants the franchise, assured that the ABS-CBN franchise bill will have the “highest priority.”
“Given the devastating effects of the ABS-CBN shutdown and the need for more outreach outlets during the pandemic, the issue will be given top priority as soon as it is referred to the Public Service Committee,” Poe said. .
Poe, however, said that “the Constitution requires that bills of that nature originate in the House (and) will most likely be referred to the Rules until the House grants franchise.”
Still, Poe said that “my support for a free and fair media in the name of public service remains,” adding that “he will ensure that the Committee acts in due course.”
