Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda (Rep. Salceda's office)

Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda clarified that nobody influenced him into filing a new franchise application measure for shuttered television and radio giant ABS-CBN before the House of Representatives. 

"ABS-CBN is right that they did not ask me to file a franchise. The [House] leadership also did not. I filed it with the conviction that it is the right thing to do," Salceda said in a statement Friday, Jan. 10.

The veteran congressman recently filed House Bill (HB) No.11252, which sought a new 25-year franchise for the so-called "Kapamilya network".

ABS-CBN's congressional franchise expired on May 4, 2020, during the previous Duterte administration. 

"I have been a co-author of the ABS-CBN franchise since 2019. Unfortunately, I was not a member of the Committee on Legislative Franchises. Nonetheless, I contributed to the discussion by warning that the ABS-CBN closure would lead to more Covid-19 infections due to lack of information," Salceda said.

"This Congress, I thought it best to add my voice to the conversation as a principal author. I based my decision on three things," he noted.

"First, the BIR is on record in the 18th Congress as having said that the network does not have pending tax deficiencies. Second, the Securities and Exchange Commission also said that there is no pending alleged against supposed foreign ownership of the company," said Salceda.

"Third, we have enacted the Public Service Act and Foreign Investment Act amendments after the franchise renewal was rejected. These laws give us adequate mechanisms to review and correct foreign ownership issues, if they really exist," he added.

"If there are other concerns about the network, or allegations that need to be discussed, the proper forum is a Congressional hearin," Salceda further said.