"Traditional politicians are up in arms fighting for the resumption of ABS-CBN operations."
"Traditional politicians are up in arms fighting for the resumption of ABS-CBN operations."
I can only imagine the frustration of President Duterte hearing about the poor people’s ordeal, including three senior citizens collapsing and dying from hunger while lining up for the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) cash aid or relief goods at barangay halls.
But, while millions of Filipino families suffer hand-to-mouth existence brought by the COVID-19 crisis, with at least seven million of them still not having received the SAP, traditional politicians are up in arms fighting for the resumption of ABS-CBN operations.
This issue on the fiasco in the inefficient distribution of SAP benefits that aggravates the widespread hunger will have to take a back seat as political kingpins take up the cause of the influential ABS-CBN.
The broadcast monolith inevitably shut down on orders of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), as its 25-year legislative franchise expired on Monday May 4th. The network failed to secure a renewal since its application was shelved by the previous Congress.
So, the President’s critics who blame him for the NTC’s cease and desist order are actually barking up the wrong tree.
Truth be told, the ABS-CBN management won’t admit it was banking on its preferred presidential candidate Liberal Party's Mar Roxas to win easily in the 2016 elections, and take care of business for the yellow Kapamilya network.
Anyway, ACT-CIS Partylist Representative Eric Yap, a member of the House legislative franchise committee, said the panel will conduct hearings on the matter in the coming weeks.
Rep. Yap said the committee will have to hear from all stakeholders affected by the proposed renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise, including smaller players in the broadcast industry who complain about the giant network’s alleged unfair competition practices.
I share Rep. Yap’s trust in the ABS-CBN management’s capability to look after the welfare of its reportedly 11,000 workers, including its top-rated talents, and ensure they will not go hungry like the country’s poorest of the poor do.
At least seven million of the 23 households are still waiting for the first tranche of their P8,000 or P5,000 cash assistance as their respective barangay, local government unit (LGU) officials wrangle with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on the validation of the list of beneficiaries.
We all know that even with the upcoming second tranche of the government dole, it’s extremely difficult for an average family of four or five to get by over two months of lockdown.
This simply means ABS-CBN’s application for renewal and resumption of operations will have to go through the normal process of securing the legislative franchise at the Congress. Not even the lawmakers themselves can fast-track the process in favor of the network.
Invoking freedom of the press just will not cut it as ABS-CBN is as much a giant show business and entertainment network which will be missed for its FPJ adaptation series Probinsyano. Other yellow media outlets are thriving.
So, Probinsyano will have to continue on duty at ECQ checkpoints, unless Manong Digong, by virtue of RA 11461 or Bayanihan To Heal As One, decides a government takeover of ABS-CBN as a purveyor of public information and institution of humanitarian service for the duration of the state of public health emergency, which may be extended anyway.
No kidding, the soft-hearted Manong Digong might as well do that, take over ABS-CBN to bring back Probinsyano, TFC and Asianovela. How can the legal luminaries miss this possibility?