The Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (AMRSP) has urged the faithful to help ABS CBN get a legislative franchise by supporting the Pirma (People’s Initiative for Reforms and Movement for Action) Kapamilya initiative.
"The AMRSP wants that the Pirma Kapamilya initiative to succeed. If our politicians have failed us, the collective Filipino People will take action. We will take action," the group said in a statement Thursday.
"The AMRSP requests the Catholic faithful to sign up and help ABS-CBN get a legislative franchise directly through the people," it further read.
The religious organization also called on all of its members, the religious congregations, to provide "logistical support" to ensure the success of the initiative.
The AMRSP said the closure of ABS-CBN is an affront to the Filipinos’ Constitutional Rights under 1987 Philippine Constitution, particularly the right to free expression, the right to a free press and the right to equal protection of the laws.
"Information, the lifeblood of media and journalism, at any time in a democracy, especially during a national and world crisis, is the nation’s connection to life and freedom," said the group.
"ABS-CBN, in varied media forms, projected the stories of poor people, the heroism of Filipinos, the injustices on faceless Filipinos. Needless to state, the Filipinos need ABS-CBN," added AMRSP.
If ever there were lapses in giving true information or addressing legal issues, the group said, these matters should be handled by the management and interested parties that claim to serve the Filipinos.
The AMRSP also empathized with the 11,000 employees of ABS-CBN whose lives and careers were put in jeopardy during the pandemic.
Launched in July, the signature campaign aims to gather seven million signatures nationwide in order to grant ABS-CBN a ‘people’s franchise’ and allow it ‘to operate and maintain, for commercial purposes and in the public interest, radio and/or television broadcasting stations in the Philippines, including a digital television system’.”
The House Committee on Legislative Franchises on July 10, adopted the recommendation of its technical working group to reject the bills seeking to grant ABS CBN a new franchise in a vote of 70-11.