On Monday, January 4, senate-president Tito Sotto filed a bill that allows ABS-CBN to grant–a 25-year fresh franchise.
His Senate Bill No. 1967 aims to renew the franchise granting ABS-CBN to construct, install, operate, and maintain television and radio broadcasting stations in the Philippines for another 25 years.
Sotto’s efforts are backed by some lawmakers, as they expressed their support for the Bill.
However, not all were impressed by the senator, including singer-actress Agot Isidro. She felt that this is all part of a strategy as politicians are gearing for the 2022 elections.
With the bill filed by Sotto, several lawmakers also expressed eagerness to bring back ABS-CBN.
In 2020, 70 lawmakers voted against the franchise renewal of the media giant.
With the upcoming elections, politicians like Sotto are using its possible resurrection to make their names appealing to the people.
Contrary to his ‘heroic’ move, among the nine politicians who abstained in the Network’s bid for franchise renewal was Sotto.
Supporters of the media company considered this act as self-serving. Politicians are known to do everything for grabs to advance in their bid for future office.
REMINDER:
Tito Sotto was one of the 9 Senators who abstained in the ABS-CBN Franchise Renewal fiasco.He did not cast his vote on the matter, b/c he flip-flops on issues based on what's best for him.
This self-serving move is just another day in the life of a duplicitous TRAPO. pic.twitter.com/TQUGraLpzB
— Francis Baraan IV (@MrFrankBaraan) January 4, 2021
Adding to the Bill was the declaration of Sotto that the Senate will probe the government’s vaccination plan this January 11. He also released a statement regarding the concern of citizens upon news that President Rodrigo Duterte’s close-in security personnel were given immunization of an unregistered vaccine.
He questioned President Duterte’s claim that most Filipinos, including military men, were given shots of the still-unregistered vaccine developed by China’s Sinopharm. Sotto also asked whether there were laboratory reports to support such an assertion. With this, many felt that it was ‘all part of the plan’ to help him in the 2022 election.
Meanwhile, Senator Richard Gordon said that the delay in the negotiations of vaccine supply for the Philippines from pharmaceutical firms is a good thing.
This is because of a new strain of COVID-19, which was considered to be stronger than the previous one. According to the senator, it is a good thing that the country is behind the acquisition of vaccines since Filipinos will be informed of its side effects.
Still, he expressed his concern regarding the immunization of the PSGs before anyone else, and worse, the drug was an illegal one as it was not authorized by the Food and Drug Administration.
With politicians picking their sides, this kind of politicking is obvious to the eyes of the observant such as Agot. The fake bravado of politicians will never impress her.
