Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza said that the ABS-CBN network might get a chance to have its franchise back as he is eyeing to move for the reconsideration of the denial of the network’s application.
It can be remembered that the Kapamilya network was forced to shut down when 70 lawmakers voted to deny the media giant’s franchise application back in July last year.
Months after ABS-CBN’s shut down, Senate President Vicente Sotto III filed a bill to let the network continue its operations.
According to Inqurer.net, when Atienza was asked whether he would do the same measure as the senate president, he said that he would rather make a notion for the reconsideration of ABS-CBN’s franchise.
On Tuesday, January 5, Atienza said that reconsideration would be a shorter route towards the network’s “acceptable result of the deliberations.”
“Rather than refiling, I would say a motion for reconsideration of the decision of the committee, that is a shorter route towards an acceptable result of the deliberations,” Atienza said in a virtual interview with reporters.
He added saying that refiling a case would just take longer so he would rather continue where previous ABS-CBN administrations left off.
“Kasi kung magre-refile na naman, we start from a e nandito na tayo sa malayu-layong nang alphabet. Andito na nga tayo sa R, reconsideration. ‘Wag na nating ibalik, let’s continue where they left off,” he added.
The deputy speaker also mentioned that he is still unsure whether he would personally move for the reconsideration or not when the session for the franchise bid resumes this coming January 18.
However, he noted that moving for the reconsideration should be addressed now that the “Senate has taken a very serious consideration of the matter.”
It can be recalled that several congressmen, who were against the ABS-CBN franchise, were already ousted from their committee position and were replaced by politicians who support the network.
Some of the ousted congressmen were former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano who was replaced by Lord Allan Velasco, and former chairman of the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee Mike Defensor who was replaced by Jose Bonito Singson.
