Malacañang on Friday said it respects the decision of the National Telecommunications Commission to recall the television and radio frequencies assigned to ABS-CBN Corp, two months after the House of Representatives panel denied its franchise application.
“We respect the NTC’s decision as a quasi-judicial body,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.
The NTC has ordered to recall all frequencies and channels assigned to the ABS CBN network.
In an eight-page decision dated Sept. 9, the NTC said that “all assigned frequencies/channels assigned to ABS-CBN are hereby recalled” due to the absence of a valid legislative franchise.
“The denial of respondent’s franchise renewal application by Congress coupled with the denial of the respondent’s petition by the Supreme Court lead to no other conclusion except that the respondent had already lost the privilege of installing, operating and maintaining redo broadcasting in the country,” the NTC said.
Consequently, absent a valid franchise, the recall of frequencies assigned to the Respondent is warranted,” the NTC said.
Congress has denied ABS-CBN’s application for legislative franchise on July 10, 2020.The NTC on May 5 ordered ABS-CBN to stop operating its various television and radio broadcasting stations nationwide, “absent a valid congressional franchise as required by law.”
ABS-CBN Convergence’s franchise expired on March 17, 2020, while ABS-CBN Corp.’s franchise ended on May 4, 2020.
The network announced the closure of its television and radio operations as well as its other consumer businesses, resulting in a massive retrenchment of its employees. ABS-CBN shut down the operations of its retail businesses on Aug. 31, including Studio Tours, ABS-CBN Store, Hado Pilipinas, Heroes Burger and ABS-CBN Studio Experience. The network also closed down 12 local “TV Patrol” programs and MOR 101.9 For Life! in Manila on Aug. 28.
ABS-CBN and subsidiaries had 6,730 regular employees, including 900 non-regular employees and 3,325 talents and project-based employees as of 2018.