Published May 24, 2021, 4:24 PM
What’s the difference between the legislative franchise applications of ABS-CBN network and Metro Manila’s two water concessionaires which all have gotten the goat of President Rodrigo Duterte? Aside from the alleged railroading approval of the franchise applications of Maynilad Water Services and the Manila Water Corporation during the first hearing on Monday, May 24, there are three other glaring issues that sets the ABS-CBN franchise bid apart from the two water firms, said Deputy Speaker and Buhay Partylist Rep. Lito Atienza and Deputy Minority and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate.
First, the House panel did not reveal to the media the scheduled hearings of the franchise applications of Manila Water Corporation and the Maynilad Water Services Inc., unlike the well-publicized ABS-CBN franchise proceedings last year.
Published January 30, 2021, 2:28 PM
Eight out of ten Filipinos favor erstwhile network giant ABS-CBN to return on air, according to a mobile-app survey conducted recently by WR Numero Research.
The polling and data analytics firm released the results of its recent survey conducted a few days after Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sottto III filed a bill that would allow one of the country’s leading media outfit to resume operations with a fresh 25-year legislative franchise from Congress.
House Deputy Speaker Vilma Santos and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman followed Sotto’s lead by submitting in the House of Representatives separate bills granting ABS-CBN a legislative franchise.
Published January 28, 2021, 4:59 PM
The chairman of the House Committee on Legislative Franchise declared Thursday that ABS-CBN network’s bid to return to the airwaves is no longer feasible and should instead be taken up in the next Congress and under a new president.
This view shows the ABS-CBN network headquarters in Quezon City in the Metro Manila area. (Photo by Maria TAN / AFP / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez made this declaration as moves to revive the legislative franchise bills for the erstwhile network giant have become obvious in Congress.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III had filed a bill granting ABS-CBN a legislative franchise covering 25 years.
Published January 28, 2021 1:30pm
Updated January 28, 2021 3:46pm By ERWIN COLCOL, GMA News The issue of the franchise renewal of broadcast firm ABS-CBN is best addressed in the next Congress, House committee on legislative franchises chair Franz Alvarez said Thursday. Alvarez made the remark amid new moves to reopen the deliberations on the ABS-CBN franchise renewal bid, and the assertion of Anakalusugan party-list Representative Mike Defensor for the House plenary to take up the unresolved measure granting the network a provisional franchise. Based on my understanding from the House leadership, the ABS-CBN franchise issue is best left to the next Congress, Alvarez said in a statement to reporters.