Are they lawful? House to scrutinize ABS-CBN blocktime deals
Published Jun 8, 2026 06:08 pm
At A Glance
- The House Committee on Legislative Franchises has ordered NTC, DOLE, and PCC to submit position papers on ABS-CBN's contracts and blocktime agreements, following Rep. Presley de Jesus' privilege speech.
- Lawmakers have questioned whether ABS-CBN's extensive blocktime operations comply with franchise policies, raising concerns about control, competition, and labor practices.
- The committee deferred further deliberations until documents are submitted, which may lead to clearer rules on blocktime agreements and media operations.
The House of Representatives (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Contracts and agreements under ABS-CBN--including employee or talent engagements and blocktime memoranda with other stations--will be scrutinized by the House Committee on Legislative Franchises after it ordered various government agencies to submit position papers and relevant documents on issues raised against the media company.
During a recent committee hearing, lawmakers tackled the privilege speech of PHILRECA Party-List Rep. Presley de Jesus concerning media giant ABS-CBN.
De Jesus had questioned its blocktime agreements with several network operators and whether these arrangements remained consistent with existing laws.
As a result, the committee tasked the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) to submit their positions on issues involving regulation, labor practices, and the possible impact of such arrangements on competition within the broadcasting industry.
De Jesus stressed the need to determine whether the extent of ABS-CBN's operations through blocktime agreements complies with congressional policies and the franchise conditions governing broadcast operators such as Advanced Media Broadcasting System, more commonly known as ALLTV.
According to the lawmaker, questions cannot be ignored when nearly an entire television channel's programming comes from a single content provider, raising concerns over which entity truly exercises control over the station.
ABS-CBN’s broadcast franchise was revoked by Congress in 2020 during the previous Duterte administration. It has not been renewed.
The company officially abandoned its bid for a new franchise in 2025, as it shifted focus to digital platforms, partnerships, and global content distribution. It continues to operate through blocktime agreements with other networks in the absence of its own congressional franchise.
Meanwhile, several lawmakers highlighted during the same hearing the labor-related allegations earlier raised by Kamanggagawa Party-list Rep. Eli San Fernando. These include concerns involving the reported working conditions of some cameramen and drivers assigned to the company's news operations.
The House members also discussed whether or not the legislative franchises panwl has jurisdiction over the issue, given that ABS-CBN doesn't have a congressional franchise.
Nevertheless, several members of the committee maintained that the agreements deserve closer examination to determine whether there were gaps in existing laws that Congress may need to address.
The committee ultimately deferred further deliberations on De Jesus' privilege speech pending the submission of position papers, contracts, and other documents requested from the concerned agencies.
Once these documents are submitted, the House is expected to revisit the matter, which could pave the way for clearer rules governing blocktime agreements and the operations of media companies in the country.