MANILA – ABS-CBN Corp. is unlikely to secure a fresh 25-year legislative franchise even after the term of President Rodrigo Duterte, House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta said.
According to Marcoleta, the frequency previously assigned to ABS-CBN might no longer be available come 2022 as the government will likely give it to a “more deserving” applicant.
“You’re assuming that the franchise will be up to 2022. Paano kung mayroon nang binigyan ang gobyerno? Kanino pa ibibigay ‘yun? Anong franchise pa ang ibibigay mo sa kanya?” said the SAGIP partylist representative.
“I cannot speculate. It’s up to them [ABS-CBN] what’s their next move. As for them filing another bill, there’s no way. Why would you process the application from the same organization when it was rejected already?” Marcoleta added.
Voting 70-11 with two inhibitions and an abstention, a joint panel at the House of Representatives rejected a bill seeking the renewal of the network’s congressional franchise, which expired on May 4.
The move will ensure that the network will remain off air since the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) ordered it to “cease and desist” its free TV and radio channels on May 5.
In a report by Politiko website over the weekend, it said that the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the Manila Broadcasting Corp. have the best odds of landing the frequency of ABS-CBN.
Based on its guidelines, the NTC does not bid out frequencies for digital terrestrial television broadcast service but assigned it out based on availability. It is being based on the legal, technical and financial capacity and feasibility of the franchise owner./PN
