President Rodrigo Duterte has approved licenses to operate for 3 broadcast firms, according to copies of franchise laws that Malacañang released on Wednesday.
The following laws were signed by Duterte:
- Republic Act 11579 granting Servotron Industries, Inc. a radio and television broadcast franchise
- Republic Act 11580 granting Christian Music Power, Inc. a franchise to operate and maintain radio stations
- Republic Act 11582 granting Allied Broadcasting Center, Inc. a radio and television broadcast franchise
The President also approved a franchise for St. Jude Thaddeus Institute of Technology, Inc. to maintain television and radio stations in Surigao del Norte province and other areas.
He signed separate measures renewing the franchises of the following.
- Blockbuster Broadcasting System, Inc.
- Tagbilaran Broadcasting System, Inc.
- Transpacific Broadband Group International, Inc.
In July last year, the House Committee on Legislative Franchises denied ABS-CBN, then the country's largest broadcast network, its application for a new 25-year broadcast franchise, despite being cleared of alleged irregularities by relevant government agencies.
President Rodrigo Duterte had repeatedly threatened to shut down the network.
GMA, TV5, PTV and Net 25 are remains the free-to-air television networks in the country.
In January of this year, Senate President Vicente Sotto III filed a bill for a fresh franchise for ABS-CBN. A counterpart House bill was filed within weeks, raising hopes that the Kapamilya network could soon return to free TV.
Less than a month after, House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco shattered hopes of a possible ABS-CBN comeback, saying calls to grant the network a new franchise will have to wait until the election of the next Congress in 2022.
Velasco made the remark after Duterte in February said he would block the shuttered network's operations.
Duterte, in a Feb. 8 public address, said he would not allow the NTC to issue a permit to operate to ABS-CBN even if Congress grants it a fresh broadcast license.
"I will not allow the NTC to grant them the permit to operate. Kung ibigay ninyo ‘yung franchise because it is within your power to do it, go ahead. Alam mo bakit? Unless and until mabayaran ng mga Lopez ang taxes nila, I will not -- I will ignore your franchise and I will not give them the license to operate. Kalokohan ‘yan," he said.
The President's threat and the loss of its franchise however have not stopped ABS-CBN from fulfilling its mission to be "in the service of the Filipino," live streaming shows and newscasts online, and forging partnerships with other networks to air its programs on free TV.
And as ABS-CBN News chief Ging Reyes puts it: "It’s been one year since that dark, silent night. We have not given up. We still deliver the news. We will wait for that joyous daybreak."
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/04/21/duterte-grants-3-broadcast-firms-franchises
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