i WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 12, 2020
17 senators...
17 senators close ranks for ABS
Bv Macon Ramos-Araneta
a'nd MaricelV. Cruz
SEVENTEEN senators or a major-
itv of the 24 members of the Senate
aie supporting the renewal of ABS-
cRtl'i franchise. Senarc Majdr-
ity Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said
Tuesdav.
f annl thint it will have a diffi-
cult time here in the Senate," Zubiri
said noting that many senalors were
"iympathizers" of ABS-CBN.
However, he said tle senators
u ould not be able to vote on ABS-
CBN's franchise until a bill seeking
ro'extend ir lor another 25 \cars had
been appror ed bY the House oI ReP-
resentatives and transmitted to the
Senate.
\ F/Qodr pAq€'|
The ftanchise bill #mains Pending
in the House.
Speaker fl.lan CaYetatro vowed im-
panial hearings on tlle long-pendrng
bitls on ABS-CBN's fianchise.
"Consiltent with the Dutefie ad-
ministration's stand on the protec-
tion ol lhe lreedom ol e\Pres:ion.
Congress is comrnitted to conduct an
imnanial healing uhere those uho
or irt fal or of the renev,'al
are against
may make their ca'e. We also cont-
mit {hat the lSth Congress shall srud1
tiris iisue ftoni all aspects in order to
protect the interest of the public,"
Cayetano said.
In related deYelopments:
. ABS-CBN ma) corrtinue to oper-
ate until 2022 as long as there is a
Nert Poge
Frcn Al
pending bill exteDding oI renewiog its
fraochise, Senate President Vicente Sotto
III said Tllesday.
"They can still opei4te. If it's not ap-
proved March of2022, tlat's the only time
tlat it's terminated," Sotto said.
.
The Subreme Court on Tuesday or-
dered ABS-CBN to comment on the quo
warranto suit liled by Solicitol GeDeral
Jose Calida seeking to cancel its fratrchise.
. Senator Aquilino Pimentel III otr
Tiresday demanded flom the House of
Repieseotatives to be fair by scthg and
lot sleepitrg on a bill seeking to ren€w
the ftanchise of ABS-CBN for another 25
y€ars.
pass or fail so that at least, rfiere
'Act,
willbe concerned people who will know
what to do-move for reconsideration or
gatber more votes, ovgrride somethilg,
just like that," Pimentel said.
"Tlris should be acted upon, don't just
sleep oo it as ifthere's no pending bill."
. The House of Representatives ad-
joumed barely a few milutes after it
opened its session T\resday.
House ]r,lajority Leader atrd Leyte Rep.
Martin Romualdez said the House leader-
ship decided to adjouln its session for a
lack of quorum.
But lawmakers backing the renewal of
the franchise ofABS-CBN could not help
but say the chamber was evading the fran-
chise issue to be raised on the floor.
"On rccord, our lady legislators are on
official travel today attending a! evetrt
outside of the House of Repr€sentatives,"
Romuald€z said in a statement,
. Vice Presideit Leni Robredo on Tues-
day hit the office of the solicitor Gen-
eral's filing of a quo warranto petition
against ABS-CBN seeking to revoke its
l€gislative franchise.
She tagged the move of Solicitor Gen-
eral Jose Calida as an act of "harassment"
and "abus€ ofp )wer."
"This is harassment based on the per-
sonal agenda of some people in position,
thus it is an abuse of power," she said in
a statement.
" The Kilusang Mayo Uno labo! cent-
er said the solicitor general's filing last
Monday of a quo warmdo petition in the
Supreme Court against ABS-CBN for al-
leged franchise violations would cause
thousands ofjob losses and cause "grave
public injury."
"That would massacre more than 10,000
jobs in the country's largest broadcast
network. It deprives millions of critical
media freedom and thus cause grave
public injdry," KMU Geneml Secretary
Jerome Adonis said. with Rlo N.Araia
and Willle Casas