Bill seeking new ABS-CBN franchise filed in House
A bill aiming to give ABS-CBN Corporation a 25-year broadcast license has been filed before the House of Representatives.
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda is pushing to revive ABS-CBN's operations through House Bill No. 11252, where he stressed that based on investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the company "did not violate ownership restrictions and did not have pending tax liabilities."
Salceda noted that the non-renewal led to 11,000 individuals losing their jobs and limited access to news during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This representation also argued that the information asymmetries that resulted from the loss of an information source caused thousands of new COVID-19 infections during the critical 2020 period," he stated.
He added that prior to the rejection of the franchise renewal, some 36% of Filipinos relied on ABS-CBN to get the latest information on matters of news and entertainment.
The company's regional network reach was also the source for news and updates on impending disasters, making the channel "crucial then to disaster risk reduction strategies at the local level."
"Given the merits of renewing the franchise, as well as the clarifications made by government agencies over certain allegations against the grantee, this representation urges Congress to reconsider the non-renewal of the franchise by the previous Congress," Salceda stressed.
Rep. Joey Salceda, chairperson of the House Committee on Ways and Means, filed House Bill 11252 seeking to grant ABS-CBN Corp. a franchise "to construct, install, operate, and maintain television and radio broadcasting stations" in the country.
— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) January 7, 2025
He urged Congress to reconsider… pic.twitter.com/mUtO9UIVZV
In a statement, ABS-CBN said that they were "not aware" of the filing, but are "deeply grateful for his support and belief in ABS-CBN's contributions and mission to serve the Filipino public."
House Bill No. 11252 is the fifth bill filed in the House of Representatives aimed at providing a new franchise for the network giant.
Other lawmakers who have proposed laws to allow ABS-CBN to operate again include Surigao del Sur 2nd District Rep. Johnny Pimentel, Camarines Sur 3rd District Rep. Gabriel Bordado, Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez, and former Senate president Vicente Sotto III.
The Kapamilya network stopped its TV and radio broadcasting operations on May 5, 2020, at exactly 7:52 PM, after the National Telecommunications Communication (NTC) issued a cease-and-desist order to ABS-CBN following the expiration of its 25-year legislative franchise.
Two months later, in July 2020, Congress junked the media company's petition to renew its franchise.
In January 2022, the NTC awarded ABS-CBN's analog and digital frequencies to Advanced Media Broadcasting System, Inc. owned by billionaire Manny Villar.
