THE PHILIPPINF STAR

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B6 i THURSDAY I DECEMBER 5,2019

Cayetano assures'fair treatment'

in ABS-CBN franchise renewal bid
By DELON PORCALLA our process. So, let's iust wait for it. And you
knoiv e.'en the PresidLnt admits that there has
Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano yesterday reas- to be a fair process," he said.
sured broadcast giant ABS-CBN that the House Republii Act 7966, rhe cur€nt 25-year legis-
of Representatives would strictly observe "due lative franchise that was given to ABS-CBN in
process" when it deliberates on its legislative March 1995 during the iiml of former president
franchise rrnewal befoGit ekpfi€s fu'rMarch'9020. Fidel Ramos, is set to expire on Malch 20, ZO20-, .
"I reiterate that Congless wil.be.fajt will al- The bill renewing AES{BN3 ftanchise wis
ways have a fair hearing. Even the management fiied during the timelf forrrer president Benigno
of A BS-CBN knows this, especially because at this Aouino III. a fellow anti-Marcos loval friend who
stage we have to prioritize our budget delibera- hai been very supportive to the Lopezes or the
tions and other revenue bills," he said. owners of the network - and vice versa.
The House official - an allv of President If Qe House bill renewing its franchise fails io
Duterte who has repeatedly threatened to shut gei the siamp of approval from the House and
down the TV netwbrk - issued the statement fuiI not be siped into law by Duterte, then the
after Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez revealed that countq/s most influential and largest TV network
the House Committee on Legislative Franchises will be forced to shut down its broadcast opera-
will not iake it up until tlie year ends. tions, including its radio operations.
Alvarez sits as chairman of the House Com- Duterte, a former mayor of Davao City in
mittee on Legislative Franchises. Mindanao, has been very vocal in his disgust at
"Butwe hive more than enough time to tackle the network after it failed to air his Paid Politi-
it in fanuary or February (next year) because the cal advertisements during the 2016 presidential
expiration 6f the franchi'se will ;till be in Marclr," campaign, when he was almost a nobody and
Cayetano said, playing sale about what will hap- were not eve'n among the frontrunners.
pei next - wili it Le I total closure, renewal br A year after assuming office in mid-2016, the
iemporary operations. feisty chief executive accused ABS-CBN of swin-
"it wili niatly depend on what will happen dlin! him, shortly after he signed into law the
during the heariirg.Iiannot preempt the coniririt- legislative franchise of its riv;l network GMA-
tee or"the issues rhat will b^e takeir,' the Taguig 7 Jetwork which was granted in 2017'
congressman explained. He said he resplcti In November 2018, the Manny V P_angilinan-
Presiident Duterfu's stand againit the Lopez- owned TV5 - a sister company of_The Philippine
owned network. STAR - obtained the approval of the Alvarezled
"As you know he's the Prcsident and he has Committee on Legislative Franchises on the re-
stand on certain issues and, of course, we respect newal of its legislative franchise for 25 years - or
that. Having said that, the President also rcspecls until2043.

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