Lacson: ABS-CBN franchise to expire on May 4 even with ‘1,000’ congressional resolutions
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2020 07:33:56 +0000
SEN. Panfilo Lacson on Thursday said that the franchise of ABS-CBN Corporation would expire on May 4 whether Congress would pass “100 or 1,000 joint resolutions” to call for its extension.
The senator stressed this amid debates whether the Senate and House of Representatives (HoR) could influence – through joint or concurrent resolutions – the National Telecommunications Commision (NTC) to issue a provisional authority to ABS-CBN to continue its operation if Congress failed to pass a law renewing its franchise.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Wednesday filed Concurrent Resolution 6 expressing the sense of Congress that ABS-CBN should continue to operate pending final determination of the renewal of its franchise by the 18th Congress.
Drilon also filed on February 17 Joint Resolution 11 that sought to extend the broadcast network’s franchise up to Dec. 31, 2022.
Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday wrote NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba to grant ABS-CBN temporary permit to operate.
Asked whether Cayetano’s letter to NTC has some weight to compel it to issue provisional authority to ABS-CBN, Lacson said, “Will it change the reality na mag-expire ‘yan sa (that it will expire on) May 4?”
“Kahit mag-issue kami ng (even if we issue) 100 joint resolutions, will it change the fact it will expire on May 4?” Lacson said in a media forum.
He said the NTC could not issue provisional permit to ABS-CBN if it did not have a legislative franchise.
“And (the) legislative franchise as the name connotes dapat batas ‘yan (must be a law),” Lacson stressed.
“How do you extend without issuing a provisional permit? The legislative franchise expires on May 4. So maski 1,000 joint resolutions walang effect and force of law ang ipadala namin sa NTC. Anong gagawin ng NTC after May 4? Expired pa rin ‘yan (So even if we submit 1,000 joint resolutions to NTC these have no effect and force of a law. What will NTC do after May 4? It is still expired),” he added. BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO