On July 10, the House Committee on Legislative Franchise junked the application of ABS-CBN for franchise renewal with 70 votes.
SAGIP party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta stated the reasons for denying the application.
Prior to voting, ABS-CBN was subjected to 12 hearings to tackle various allegations presented by their oppositors.
These included the supposed 50-year constitutional limit on media franchise, the issue on PDRs, the citizenship of former Chairman Gabby Lopez, the issue on tax evasion through their subsidiary Big Dipper, labor issues, and the network’s alleged biased reporting.
For Marcoleta, ABS-CBN’s application was denied because they were unable to prove that they deserve a new franchise.
To the ABS-CBN employees, he said that it saddens them to know that many employees will be jobless.
“Maski kami malungkot. Sino ba namang hindi malulungkot na mawalan ng trabaho.” he said
Macoleta also said that it was too late for ABS-CBN to have its franchise application approved. He claimed that the network has that sense of entitlement.
“It’s too late now. Hinihintay ko lang sanang magpakababa sila eh.”
“They had that sense of entitlement.”
ABS-CBN president and CEO Carlo Katigbak said that the network is ready to make changes for the approval of the franchise but during the house hearing, Marcoleta said that they were just covering the issue discussed.
“Yung sinabi ni ABS-CBN president and CEO Carlo Katigbak na ‘handa kaming magbago,’ okay yun. Eh noong nag-hearing na, lumabas takipan dito, takipan diyan”
He also said that “there are several agencies of government that appeared to be in collusion with ABS-CBN.”
Marcoleta added that the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) registration of ABS-CBN’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Big Dipper Digital Content and Design, is questionable.
During the House hearing on ABS-CBN franchise renewal, Marcoleta was the one who brought up the issues on 50-year franchise limit, the citizenship of former ABS-CBN chairman Gabby Lopez, the constitutional violation on ABS-CBN offering of PDRs, the alleged illegal return of ABS-CBN to the Lopezes after the EDSA 1986 revolution, and the allegation on tax evasion through the use of PEZA accredited subsidiary Big Dipper.
