Palace: ABS-CBN franchise renewal is up to Congress

It is Congress that will decide whether or not to renew the franchise of ABS-CBN Corporation, and not President Rodrigo Duterte, Malacañang said on Thursday.

The broadcast network’s franchise is set to expire in March 2020.

“Nasa Kongreso ang bola niyan, hindi naman kay Presidente,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo told reporters.

The bills renewing the broadcast franchise of TV5 Network and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines lapsed into law in April as Duterte did not do any related action within the 30-day period set by the Constitution.

“Ibig sabihin kung pina-lapse niya, ibig sabihin okay sa kaniya. That means, effectively parang pinirmahan niya rin iyon. Ganoon naman iyon eh. Kasi when a president, who is supposed to sign bills, will let a law pass, ibig sabihin okay lang sa kaniya iyon,” the Palace official said.

Duterte earlier vowed to block the renewal of the franchise granted to ABS-CBN which he had accused of not airing a political ad that was already paid for by his campaign team in 2016.

A bill filed in the House of Representatives seeking to renew the network’s franchise did not pass in the 17th Congress. Thus, the proposed measure has to be reintroduced again in the 18th Congress, which opens on July 22. —VDS, GMA News