The House Committee on Legislative Franchises is set to discuss the ABS-CBN franchise renewal on March 10, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano bared.
Cayetano said the 11 bills that seek to renew the network’s franchise will be tackled. He also urged those in favor and against the renewal of the said franchise to submit their position papers. However, officials of ABS-CBN are not yet invited.
“Ayaw nating maging circus. Ayaw nating pong maging bull session ang hearing. Ibig sabihin lahat ng may sama ng loob sa ABS, ‘yun ang gagawin. Ayaw din naman natin maging sipsipan na forum na lahat ng magsasalita ay isa-isa lang sasabihin kung gaano kagaling, gaano kabango, gaano karami nagawa ng ABS. (We don’t like to make a circus out of this. We don’t like the hearing to be a bull session for those who hold a grudge against ABS. We also don’t like it be a forum of flattery where everyone will talk about how great, how nice or how much ABS has done),” Cayetano clarified.
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has also been invited to the hearing to shed light on the granting of provisional authority to ABS-CBN to make sure that the network will not go off the air once its franchise expires in May.
Cayetano lashed out at critics but expressed hope for a peaceful discussion on the matter. He reiterated that there are other bills that need to be discussed by the Lower Chamber and assured ABS-CBN will be given a fair hearing.
Meanwhile, Batangas 6th District Rep. Vilma Santos enthused that the move is a welcome development. Santos is one of the many authors of different bills on the network’s franchise renewal.
Agusan del Norte 1st District Rep. Lawrence Fortun also welcomed the start of the hearing, and expressed hope that the committee would discuss the matter during the congressional recess this summer. – Report from Daniel Manalastas
