A bill seeking to ensure the non-expiration of franchises received unanimous support at the hearing of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revision on codes on Wednesday.
Senate Bill 1530, authored by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, seeks to amend Section 18, Book VII, Chapter 3 of the Revised Administrative Code. It seeks to provide for the non-expiration of a license if the licensee has filed a timely application for renewal until a final determination by the approving agency is made.
The amendment would include the franchises granted by Congress.
In the House, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano reiterated his appeal for calm and sobriety to the critics and supporters of the ABS-CBN network.
At the joint committee hearing on whether or not ABS-CBN’s franchise should be renewed, Cayetano said it would be easier for the congressmen “to go with the flow and approve or deny the [network’s] franchise.
“What is right is we hear every side, give everyone the opportunity to speak, gather all the facts, and make a fair and an impartial decision. It is wrong to resort to bullying and making threats and insults,” he said.
Cayetano made his statement even as the women’s group Gabriela said the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise should stand. The House of Representatives should live up to its promise of ensuring the network received a new franchise.
“Gabriela Women's Party fully stands with the Filipino people in upholding the freedom of the press, especially amid the COVID-19 crisis wherein the public's access to timely and accurate information is important,” the group said in a statement.
Drilon said his bill would fill the gap in cases where a franchise had expired while its renewal remained pending. Congress had applied considerations of equity in previous situations, and the measure would institutionalize that practice.
“The amendment would merely encourage the concerned agency or branch of government, including Congress, to act decisively on an application for renewal and to express its decision in clear, unmistakable terms, ensuring that the applicant is not punished for the authority’s indecision or inaction,” Drilon said.
The bill, once enacted into law, could give ABS-CBN a chance to operate again and save its 11,000 workers from imminent retrenchment in August, Drilon said.
Former Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio supported the bill, citing the “unequal protection of the law and discrimination” in the implementation of the law.
The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas also backed the measure.
“This bill addresses the unfortunate situation wherein the renewal for franchise applications are filed before expiration but are not acted upon in time,” KBP President Ruperto Nicdao Jr. said.
“In many instances, the applicants for franchise renewal face the possibility of a shutdown through no fault of theirs.”
Drilon’s bill also received support from various resource persons and agencies of the Executive department, including the National Telecommunications Commission, the National Electrification Administration and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System.
Drilon thanked those who expressed support for his bill and urged its immediate passage.
The NTC, meanwhile, said the quo warranto petition filed by the Solicitor General against ABC-CBN prompted the agency to issue a cease-and-desist order against the network.