- House of Representatives passed a bill granting ABS-CBN provisional authority until October 2020.
The Senate especially Senate President Vicente Sotto III questioned House of Representative’s move to give ABS-CBN just a 5-month provisional franchise.
Sotto asked why Congress would give such provisional authority for only 5 months when the franchise law gives a media network 25 years license.
“Bakit yung franchise na ina-approve ng House e five months? Ngayon lang ako nakarinig ng five months na franchise. Twenty-five years kung 25 years. Bakit five months?” Sotto said in an interview on TeleRadyo on Thursday.
Sotto also added that on the Senate version of the law may be available by Wednesday next week if there’ll be no more distractions in the Senate.
“Kung hindi maaabala yung committee of the whole namin ng Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, any of those three days, pwede nang pagusapan on second reading. Yun ang nakikita ko…The week of (May) 25th, pwedeng i-second reading or the latest is the third reading on that week. Ganun ang pinakamagandang pwedeng mangyari,” he added.
Senator Migz Zubiri meanwhile said the ABS-CBN’s provisional franchise could be passed before Congress goes to another break on June 3, 2020.
On Wednesday, May 13, the House of Representatives through the Committee of the Whole has passed the bill giving ABS-CBN provisional authority until October 22.
House Speaker Alan Cayetano sponsored the bill which was expressly passed on the committee level.
Congress’ action was brought about by NTC’s cease and desist order against ABS-CBN. On May 5, NTC issued CDO against ABS-CBN even after they committed to giving the media giant provisional authority during the congressional hearing.
ABS-CBN then immediately complied with the order shutting off its operations on the same day after TV Patrol’s broadcast.
The media network’s franchise expired on May 4, 2020.
