MANILA, Philippines — Months after a House panel voted to kill the franchise application of broadcast giant ABS-CBN Corp., the higher chamber of Congress has taken it upon itself to secure one for the embattled media network, with Senate President Vicente Sotto III filing a Senate bill to grant ABS-CBN a fresh legislative franchise to operate.
In filing Senate Bill No. 1967, Sotto wrote: "News, current events and programs can be shown and aired in real time that makes the viewers feel more updated and in the know - regardless of their location - and actions can be made quickly when important news is broadcasted."
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To recall, 70 lawmakers voted to approve the recommendation by the House committee on legislative franchises to deny the company a fresh franchise for the next 25 years, despite no cases being proven against the company. Numerous government agencies also threw their support behind ABS-CBN, saying it complied with labor, tax, and immigration rules.
READ: House panel denies ABS-CBN franchise
Since the onset of his administration, President Rodrigo Duterte has made it clear that he has an ax to grind with critical media. Both Duterte and then-House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano have said they have personal grievances with it, with the former once saying that if it were up to him, the company's franchise would not be renewed.
When three typhoons struck the country in as many weeks towards the end of 2020, critics pointed to the widened information gap in far-flung areas caused by the shutdown of the company's regional bureaus. Vice President Leni Robredo said that local governments in the most affected areas were "blindsided" by the lack of information.
"ABS-CBN's wide reach to Filipinos, alongside with the undeniable advantages of broadcast media relative to mass communication, definitely calls for the immediate renewal of the network's franchise," Sotto also said.