SWS: Most Filipinos say Congress should renew ABS-CBN franchise
Three of four or 75 percent of Filipinos said that Congress should renew the 25-year franchise of media network ABS-CBN, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed Saturday.
The latest survey results showed most adult Filipinos said “Congress should renew the franchise of ABS-CBN so that it can broadcast its programs again.”
According to the SWS survey, 13 percent of Filipinos said they disagreed on the ABS-CBN franchise renewal, while 10 percent of them were undecided.
The survey was conducted from July 3 to 6, 2020, and used mobile phone and computer-assisted telephone interviews of 1,555 adult respondents, 306 of who are from Metro Manila, 451 in Balance Luzon, 388 in the Visayas, and 410 in Mindanao.
This survey had sampling error margins of ±2 for national percentages and was done while the House of Representatives was debating the renewal of ABS-CBN franchise, but before the July 10 vote by the House committee on legislative franchises.
Voting 70 to 11, the House panel junked the franchise renewal of the media company. It adopted the recommendation of its technical working group denying the 25-year franchise extension.
The SWS survey also found 56 percent of Filipinos agreed, 15 percent undecided, and 27 percent disagreed that “Congress’ non-renewal of ABS-CBN franchise is a major blow to press freedom.”