MANILA – A lawmaker on Tuesday filed a bill seeking to grant a new 25-year franchise to ABS-CBN Corp. at the House of Representatives.
In filing House Bill 11252, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said the broadcast giant was cleared of any alleged legal violations during the deliberations of the House Committee on Legislative Franchises in the previous Congress.
“The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Bureau of Internal Revenue, during House deliberations on the ABS-CBN franchise in the previous Congress, certified that the franchise grantee did not violate ownership restrictions and did not have pending tax liabilities,” Salceda said in his explanatory note.
ABS-CBN halted its broadcast operations on May 5, 2020, following the National Telecommunications Commission’s (NTC) issuance of a cease-and-desist order.
On July 10, 2020, the House Committee on Legislative Franchises rejected ABS-CBN’s bid for a new 25-year franchise because of several issues, including the dual citizenship of ABS-CBN chairman emeritus Eugenio Lopez III, the possible violation of the constitutional limits on foreign ownership, reported labor and tax violations, and other violations of the terms of its franchise.
Salceda said the non-renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise resulted in the loss of 11,000 direct jobs and a reduction in accessible news sources, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“You will remember that I even warned against the franchise rejection on grounds that it will add to Covid-19 infections due to lack of information,” he said.
Salceda said ABS-CBN’s extensive regional network played a critical role in disseminating news and updates during disasters.
“Prior to the rejection of the franchise renewal, some 36 percent of Filipinos derived their news and entertainment from the channel,” he said.
Salceda said he filed the bill to promote fair competition in the dissemination of information.
“I believe that the free market of ideas requires competition. A virtual monopoly will not do, as far as disseminating ideas and keeping the public informed is concerned,” he added. (PNA)