Pro-ABS-CBN franchise solon undaunted by Pulong inquiry
Published May 12, 2020 12:00 am
By Ellson Quismorio
ABS-CBN franchise renewal advocate, Cagayan de Oro 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez isn't intimidated by presidential son, Davao City 1st Rep. Paolo Duterte's attempt to seek a congressional inquiry against the beleaguered network.
Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Rep. Rufus Rodriguez Wikipedia / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
"We continue to push for hearings on the grant of franchise of ABS-CBN," Rodriguez told the Manila Bulletin Tuesday morning, or the day after House Resolution (HR) No.853 was read on the plenary floor.
The measure directs the House Committee on Legislative Franchises to "inquire, in aid of legislation, on the probable violations of ABS-CBN Corporation of its legislative franchise under Republic Act (RA) No.7966."
Rep. Duterte, a Deputy Speaker, is joined by Cavite 8th district Rep. Abraham Tolentino and ACT-CIS Party-List Rep. Eric Go Yap as his co-authors. Tolentino and Yap chair the powerful Committee on Accounts and Committee on Appropriations, respectively.
Asked if he is daunted by this measure given his pro-ABS-CBN franchise stance, Rodriguez said: "I respect their position. And I expect they respect mine and the other authors/signatories."
The HR was filed amid desperate attempts of some 14 House members to renew or grant of a new operating franchise to the TV and radio giant, which reportedly employs 11,000 people. By far, the Cagayan de Oro lawmaker is the most vocal among them.
The Legislative Franchises panel chaired by Palawan 1st district Rep. Franz Alvarez is handling their bills.
Rodriguez, in a letter to Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano Monday, the bills’ authors and co-authors, said they shared Cayetano’s “frustrations with the non-issuance of a provisional authority to the network by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), which commitment was made under oath during the March 10, 2020 meeting of the Committee on Legislative Franchises."
“Instead, the precipitate May 5 issuance by the NTC to a cease-and-desist has even placed in a bad light, to say the least, the committee in particular and the House of Representatives in general,” they said.
Those who signed the letter were Deputy Speakers Vilma Santos-Recto of Batangas, Rose Marie Arenas of Pangasinan, and Johnny Pimentel of Surigao del Sur, and Reps. Rodriguez, Joy Myra Tambunting of Parañaque, Micaela Violago of Nueva Ecija, Josephine Sato of Occidental Mindoro, Sol Aragones of Laguna, Arlene Brosas of Gabriela, France Castro of Act Teachers, Sarah Jane Elago of Kabataan, and Carlos Zarate, Ferdinand Gaite, and Eufemia Cullamat of Bayan Muna.
They said the House and its Legislative Franchises panel “are now being blamed for the shutdown of the network and for being off the air since then, as well as for the displacement of thousands of its employees and workers.”
“That the citizenry also lost one of their main sources of credible and efficient news and information in this time of crisis brought by the COVID-19 pandemic was also largely blamed on our chamber,” they added.
“While we take strong exceptions to NTC’s trickery and the Office of the Solicitor General’s interventionist actions, we firmly believe that the House now has the primary duty and responsibility to put an end to the uncertainties and confusion brought by the pendency of the application of renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise,” the lawmakers stressed.
They pointed out that it was in that “spirit that we write and appear to your good office, Mr. Speaker, to facilitate the immediate convening of the Committee on Legislative Franchises so that it can tackle with dispatch the pending renewal bills for consideration.”
But some pundits claimed that HR No.853 is a subtle signal from Malacañang for the solons not to grant ABS-CBN with a new franchise, given "Pulong's" involvement as well as the timing of the measure.
"I would rather not comment, as a courtesy to Rep. Paolo Duterte," said one of the bills' authors when asked about this observation. The author declined to be identified.
Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Rep. Rufus Rodriguez Wikipedia / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
"We continue to push for hearings on the grant of franchise of ABS-CBN," Rodriguez told the Manila Bulletin Tuesday morning, or the day after House Resolution (HR) No.853 was read on the plenary floor.
The measure directs the House Committee on Legislative Franchises to "inquire, in aid of legislation, on the probable violations of ABS-CBN Corporation of its legislative franchise under Republic Act (RA) No.7966."
Rep. Duterte, a Deputy Speaker, is joined by Cavite 8th district Rep. Abraham Tolentino and ACT-CIS Party-List Rep. Eric Go Yap as his co-authors. Tolentino and Yap chair the powerful Committee on Accounts and Committee on Appropriations, respectively.
Asked if he is daunted by this measure given his pro-ABS-CBN franchise stance, Rodriguez said: "I respect their position. And I expect they respect mine and the other authors/signatories."
The HR was filed amid desperate attempts of some 14 House members to renew or grant of a new operating franchise to the TV and radio giant, which reportedly employs 11,000 people. By far, the Cagayan de Oro lawmaker is the most vocal among them.
The Legislative Franchises panel chaired by Palawan 1st district Rep. Franz Alvarez is handling their bills.
Rodriguez, in a letter to Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano Monday, the bills’ authors and co-authors, said they shared Cayetano’s “frustrations with the non-issuance of a provisional authority to the network by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), which commitment was made under oath during the March 10, 2020 meeting of the Committee on Legislative Franchises."
“Instead, the precipitate May 5 issuance by the NTC to a cease-and-desist has even placed in a bad light, to say the least, the committee in particular and the House of Representatives in general,” they said.
Those who signed the letter were Deputy Speakers Vilma Santos-Recto of Batangas, Rose Marie Arenas of Pangasinan, and Johnny Pimentel of Surigao del Sur, and Reps. Rodriguez, Joy Myra Tambunting of Parañaque, Micaela Violago of Nueva Ecija, Josephine Sato of Occidental Mindoro, Sol Aragones of Laguna, Arlene Brosas of Gabriela, France Castro of Act Teachers, Sarah Jane Elago of Kabataan, and Carlos Zarate, Ferdinand Gaite, and Eufemia Cullamat of Bayan Muna.
They said the House and its Legislative Franchises panel “are now being blamed for the shutdown of the network and for being off the air since then, as well as for the displacement of thousands of its employees and workers.”
“That the citizenry also lost one of their main sources of credible and efficient news and information in this time of crisis brought by the COVID-19 pandemic was also largely blamed on our chamber,” they added.
“While we take strong exceptions to NTC’s trickery and the Office of the Solicitor General’s interventionist actions, we firmly believe that the House now has the primary duty and responsibility to put an end to the uncertainties and confusion brought by the pendency of the application of renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise,” the lawmakers stressed.
They pointed out that it was in that “spirit that we write and appear to your good office, Mr. Speaker, to facilitate the immediate convening of the Committee on Legislative Franchises so that it can tackle with dispatch the pending renewal bills for consideration.”
But some pundits claimed that HR No.853 is a subtle signal from Malacañang for the solons not to grant ABS-CBN with a new franchise, given "Pulong's" involvement as well as the timing of the measure.
"I would rather not comment, as a courtesy to Rep. Paolo Duterte," said one of the bills' authors when asked about this observation. The author declined to be identified.