The wife of the late rapper Francis Magalona, Pia Magalona, expressed her frustration with House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano after he urged the public to understand the decision to deny ABS-CBN network a fresh 25-year franchise.
This contradicts the fact that he previously assured the public that the network will be treated fairly and will be given a chance to a provisional franchise renewal.
Pia was disappointed in the result and admitted that her family also had a similar situation with Cayetano.
According to Pia, he befriended them to use one of her late husband’s popular songs for his senate candidacy during the 2007 elections and suddenly out of nowhere, he changed.
She shared this on Twitter stating, “Nabiktima rin kami nito. Pinagamit namin ang isang awit ni FrancisM nung 2007 dahil kinaibigan niya kami. Nagulat ako sa kung paano siya nagbago. Oo masama loob ko.
“Naniwala pa ako nung sinabi niyang hindi sya papayag na ma shutdown ang ABSCBN. #IbalikAngABSCBN #LabanKapamilya,” she added.
Nabiktima rin kami nito. Pinagamit namin ang isang awit ni FrancisM nung 2007 dahil kinaibigan niya kami. Nagulat ako sa kung paano siya nagbago. Oo masama loob ko.
Naniwala pa ako nung sinabi nyang hindi sya papayag na ma shutdown ang ABSCBN#IbalikAngABSCBN#LabanKapamilya https://t.co/qthqdSEW4j
— Pia Magalona ⁷ (@piamagalona) July 10, 2020
It can be recalled that before the hearings, Cayetano had already made it known he was against the Kapamilya network’s renewal since it was allegedly biased towards certain candidates back in the 2016 Presidential elections.
He also kept saying that a hearing for a franchise renewal is not that urgent for it will be “tedious, contentious, and it threatens to drain the momentum that has allowed the 18th Congress to accomplish so much.”
However, he changed his statement after President Rodrigo Duterte claimed that he accepted the company’s apology for its failure to air his ad during the Presidential elections.
Cayetano later assured that the process will be treated with fairness and that the acceptance of the President will increase the chances of the Congress to allow the NTC (National Telecommunications Commission) to give ABS-CBN the provisional authority to continue its operations.
He stated, “Yong mga gustong ipasara ang ABS, ako na ang nakikiusap, hintayin natin ‘yong hearing para fair. Sinasabi natin naging unfair sa Duterte camp ang ABS, (so) let’s not be unfair to ABS. Let’s not do unto others what we think they did unto us.”
But on July 10, the application of the media giant for a franchise renewal was denied.
The decision was made with a majority of 70 affirmative votes in favor of the “Resolution Denying the Franchise Application of ABS-CBN Corporation to Construct, Install, Establish, Operate, and Maintain Radio and Broadcasting Stations in the Philippines.”
While there were 11 lawmakers who voted in the negative, 1 abstention and 2 others inhibited, it made up a total of 85 voting members, including 46 regular members and 39 House leaders.
