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A wise man said the lack of personal accountability is a problem that has resulted in an epidemic of blame. Pointing fingers and blaming others can solve nothing. No institution or organization can achieve its vision or reach its goal without personal accountability. This reminds us of a saying, “A poor sailor blames the wind.”
Members of the 18th Congress who blame the National Telecommunications Commission for the shutdown of ABS-CBN are showing to us the wisdom in the maxim— “the easiest thing to spot is the gap of integrity in others.” They can’t see their own shortcomings, their own inaction that prompted the NTC to issue a cease and desist order.
NTC’s commitment to issue a provisional authority extending the life of the franchise is contingent on the passage of a joint resolution by members of the House and the Senate, so it will have a legal basis to do so. Instead of a joint resolution, the regulator got a letter signed by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Legislative Franchises Committee Chair Rep. Franz Alvarez ordering the NTC to issue a PA. The Senate, meanwhile, has passed a resolution for the issuance of a provisional authority.
The NTC’s course of action became apparent when the Solicitor General made it clear that NTC officials could face graft charges should they issue a PA to ABS-CBN absent a Congress-approved franchise.
Lawmakers have no one but themselves to blame for putting ABS-CBN in limbo. Consider: In 2014, ABS-CBN submitted an application for franchise renewal during the Aquino administration. Two bills were filed in the 16th Congress: one by Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao, filed in September 2014, and another by Baguio Rep. Nicasio M. Aliping Jr., filed in December 2014. Lawmakers failed to act on these measures, prompting the network to withdraw the application, citing time constraints.
Surprisingly, during Aquino’s term, Congress enacted bills granting franchises to 18 TV and / or radio networks, including those given to Radio Mindanao Network, Aliw Broadcasting (DWIZ), Christian Era Broadcasting, and Zoe Broadcasting. What happened to ABS-CBN’s franchise? If the others were determined to have a new franchise, what made the giant network too complacent to work for its franchise renewal?
Before the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 18th Congress had all the time to extend the expiring franchise of ABS-CBN. Why hasn’t Congress acted on it? Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said: “They [House and Senate] are expressing a sentiment that NTC may allow ABS-CBN to continue operating, but they’re not giving the franchise. What is actually needed on the part of Congress is the franchise itself. ”
Politicians will say and do things to cover up their own failures. Some members of Congress now want to abolish the NTC and transfer its functions and powers to the Department of Information and Communications Technology. They said the NTC has become “one of the most inept and useless agencies whose only relevance lies in being another model for sheer wastage of taxpayer money.” The last time we checked, however, NTC was doing its job, while some legislators refused to take responsibility for their actions, or, in the case of ABS-CBN, inaction.
Is there a statesman in Congress, one who can rise above politics and demonstrate personal accountability?
We respect Buhay Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza Jr. for being forthright when I have admitted the “failure of Congress to do its job” in the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN. “I would like to apologize for the failure of Congress to do its job. This is our fault. This is the fault of Congress. But more importantly, I would like to say squarely, this is the fault of Speaker Cayetano, ”he said.
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman shared this opinion: “The NTC must not be used as the scapegoat for the patent failure of the leadership of the House of Representatives to resolutely push for the seasonable renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise.”
