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MANILA, Philippines – The Senate on Monday adopted a resolution urging the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to reconsider its closure order against ABS-CBN, whose franchise expired on May 4.
The chamber passed Senate Resolution No. 395, which was signed and presented by 13 senators on May 7.
“There is a specific message that I want to express today. We are in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic. Libo-libo is Nasasawi’s danasil with a virus that helps health experts at the same time. Milyon-milyon ang naggugutom. “Milyon-milyon ang nawawalan ng Trabaho and wala pang kasiguraduhan kung ano ang mangyayari sa mga susunod na araw or linggo,” Senator Risa Hontiveros, lead author of the resolution, said in her sponsorship speech.
(There is a specific message I want to express today. We are in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic. There are thousands of people dying from the virus that even health experts cannot fully understand what is happening. Millions go hungry. Millions of workers are also being displaced and there is no guarantee of what may happen the next day or the week).
“Kaalaman ang pinakamahalaga nating sandata upang labanan ito (Knowledge is our most effective weapon to combat this). Access to accurate and up-to-date information is absolutely crucial to ensure that the public is a partner in community measures to improve health,” added.
Earlier last week, ABS-CBN was forced off the air after the NTC issued a cease and desist order directing the network to stop its nationwide television and radio broadcast station despite the commission’s previous guarantee that it would grant a provisional authority to the network pending its franchise renewal.
Hontiveros, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, and Senators Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, Sherwin Gatchalian, Leila de Lima, Lito Lapid, Manny Pacquiao, Francis Pangilinan and Joel Villanueva signed the resolution.
Senator Richard Gordon also voted in favor of the resolution despite not being a signatory.
Meanwhile, nine senators abstained from voting on the resolution, noting that the ABS-CBN franchise issue has already been brought to the Supreme Court and that the renewal of the network franchise is now in the hands of the House of Representatives.
Last Thursday, ABS-CBN filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to temporarily halt implementation of the cease and desist order that the NTC issued against the network.
But Pangilinan, one of the co-authors, said there were times when the Senate took a position on an issue, even if a case has already been filed with the higher court.
“I just wanted to say that we support the resolution. There were cases in the past despite the fact that a case had been brought before the Supreme Court on matters of national interest, national interest or public interest that the Philippine Senate took a position and passed a resolution, “he said.
Hontiveros also clarified that there was no intention to avoid the lower house and that the resolution was only directed at the NTC.
Among the senators who abstained were the president of the Senate, Vicente Sotto III, and the senators, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Christopher “Bong” Go, Panfilo Lacson, Imee Marcos, Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Francis Tolentino and Cynthia Villar .
Senator Pia Cayetano, who previously signed the resolution, withdrew her signature and abstained, adding that she would refrain from “expressing her views” since a case has already been brought before the court.
Cayetano, along with the other eight senators, also cited a resolution previously passed by the chamber in March that called on the NTC to grant provisional authority to ABS-CBN pending renewal of its franchise.
Meanwhile, Dela Rosa said it would be a “double whammy” for the Senate if the NTC “rejects” a camera resolution a second time.
“I am inclined to vote abstaining for the simple reason that the double hit against the Senate was a second time, a second time, NTC,” he said.
(I am inclined to vote abstaining for the simple reason that this can be a double whammy for the Senate if the NTC rejects us again.)
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