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IUESDAY JanuarY 2l' 2020 |
Tackle
ABS-CBr{
franehise bill,
House urged
AS Congress resumed ses-
sion on MondaY, CagaYan
de Oro CitY Second District
Rep. Rufus Rodriguez called
on the House Committee
on Legislative Franchises
to immediately tackle bills
seeking the renewal ofthe
franchise of AB5-CBN.
Rodriguez one ofthe
authors of lo Pendihg bills,
said there are onlY a few
days left beforethe net-
work's franchise exPires.
Republic Ac 7966, whiGh
granted ABS'cBN'5 25-Year
franchise from its enact-
ment on March 30, 1995, will
expire in March 2020.
"Congress will adjourn for
its HolyWeek break on March
1l.There will only be 22 ses-
sion days between now and
March 1 1j'he added.
o
n et
Rodriguez urged the Legis'
lative Franchises committee
to"hear all the authors of
the 1o bills and stakehold-
, ers, specially ABS-CBNI'
'Then, the committe€ will
have to decide to lenew or not
to renewthe fianchise. But it is
not proper not to act on mY bill
and the other billsi 'he said.
ReP. Franz Alvarez, head
of the Legislative Franchises
committee, ea ier vowed that
- hi3 Panelwould thoroughlY
studyand hear all sides re-
gardingthe comPanY! aPPli-
(ation for franchise renewal.
President Rodrigo Duterte
has repeatedlY critiGized
ABS-CBN for allegedlY not
aiting a 2016 camPaign that
he paid for. A few weeks ago'
he told owners ofthe Tv
network to sell ABS-CBN be-
cause there was no guaran-
tee that its franchise would
be renewed.
DIVINA NOVA JOY DELA CRUZ
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