By Ben Rosario
In the face of President Rodrigo Duterte’s determined opposition to the extension of the legislative franchise of media giant ABS-CBN, also known as the “Kapamilya” network, 11 of the most influential members of the House of Representatives want the network to continue operating beyond the March 20, 2020 franchise expiration.
House of the Representatives (ALVIN KASIBAN / MANILA BULLETIN / FILE PHOTO)
Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano has also guaranteed due process for ABS-CBN’s bid to fight off its demise, saying that congressional hearings for the application of their franchise extension will be held some time after regular sessions resume on Jan. 20, 2020.
Nine separate legislative measures filed by 11 House members are set to be heard by the House committee on legislative franchises chaired by Palawan Representative Franz Alvarez.
The cast of authors include four deputy speakers, one a member of the influential commission on appointments (CA); the head of the House contingent to the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET); and two committee chairpersons. The others are vice chairpersons of various committees.
Requesting anonymity, a senior opposition lawmaker said that in the coming session days prior to March 20, the fate of ABS-CBN’s legislative franchise application will provide the answers to questions nagging political observers.
“One, what the Lower House will tell us the extent of President Duterte’s influence on us congressmen. It will also tell us the real extent of the president’s hatred of ABS-CBN,” the solon said.
Notwithstanding the filing of several franchise extension measures, the oldest being submitted as early as July 23, Alvarez has not called for a committee hearing to take up the bill.
The Palawan solon admitted that he has been waiting for a go signal from “upstairs” although he refused to say whether that meant Cayetano or Duterte.
In a media interview early this month, Cayetano allayed fears that the Kapamilya network will cease to exist after March 20, saying that Congress still has time to act on the franchise renewal.
The House leader explained that their consideration of the franchise bills was temporarily set aside because in the past months congressmen had to act on priority measures of the Duterte administration that included passage of the 2020 national budget and several tax measures.
The legislative franchise of the ABS-CBN network granted under Republic Act No. 7966 will expire on March 20, 2020, unless extended by Congress.
Common among the nine bills filed is the grant of a 25-year renewal of the expiring franchise.
The authors include Reps. Micaela Violago, vice chairperson of the House committees on appropriations, on housing, and on information and communications technology; and Joy Myra Tambunting, vice chairperson of the House committee on games and on information and communications technology.
PBA party-list Rep. Jericho Jonas Nograles, brother of Secretary Karlo Nograles, filed House Bill No. 3064.
Former Kapamilya star Deputy Speaker Vilma Santos filed HB 4305 while former ABS-CBN reporter and now Laguna Rep. Sol Aragones, chairperson of the House committee on tourism, filed HB 3947.
Deputy Speakers Rose Marie Arenas, Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales, and Johnny Pimentel also filed separate bills, as did Cagayan De Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, chairman of the House committee on constitutional amendments.
Mindoro Oriental Rep Doy Leachon, HRET contingent head, co-authored a bill with Pimentel and Gonzales.
The latest filing was that of HB 5723 which was submitted to the House docket section only last Dec. 11 by Mindoro Occidental Rep. Josephine Ramirez-Sato, a member of the powerful CA.