Anakalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor recommends a procedure to accelerate the reopening of the ABS-CBN franchise bill.
In mid-2020, the Kapamilya failed to secure a fresh 25-year franchise after Congress voted to reject their application.
As we welcome 2021 and leadership in Congress transitions, hopes are again up for ABS-CBN franchise renewal.
This hope was increased when Senate President Vicente Sotto III filed a Senate bill aiming to renew the network’s franchise.
But the constitution stipulates that franchise bill should come from the lower chamber. With this, Deputy Speaker Vilma Santos-Recto said that she will refile the franchise bill in Congress.
In reaction, Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor suggested a way to speed up the rediscussing of the franchise.
Defensor said that authors should pull-out previously denied or pending bills to make way for fresh bills.
“Ano ang pinakamadaling solusyon kung gusto nila ulit simulan ito para sa committee? Lahat ng mga original na nag-author from Day 1, yung labindalawa na gumawa ng renewal of franchise should all withdraw and a new franchise law should be filed,” Defensor said.
He also explained that the rejected ABS-CBN’s franchise bill has not vanished because it remains as an ‘unfinished business’, according to Inquirer.
“Pagdating dito sa Kongreso, ang sinasabi ng aming rules, that if there is a bill that is not approved, it is laid on the table. Again, it is part of parliamentary courtesy na hindi siya pinapatay,” he said.
Defensor further explained that the bill was just set aside and not totally killed.
“Diba naalala ninyo noong committee hearing sinasabi namin, technically it’s laid on the table but it’s technically voted down. But laid on the table means nandiyan pa ang batas, itinabi lang,” he added.
For Santos-Recto’s bill to be acknowledged by Congress, he said that the original bill should be withdrawn by authors.
He also suggested another way and that is to raise the denied franchise bill to the plenary.
“May nangyari na ba na ang committee report ni-reverse ng plenary? Meron. May nangyari nang ganyan sa atin as a precedent,” he said.
However, he also noted the possibility that the House committee on rules will oppose it in case, to preserve the decision of the legislative franchise committee.
Mike Defensor was the vice-chairman of the House committee on legislative franchises and one of the lawmakers who voted for the rejection of the ABS-CBN franchise renewal last July 2020.
