Lagman opposes House measure urging a provisional permit for ABS-CBN

Albay Representative Edcel Lagman on Monday opposed a proposal for Congress to pass a measure urging the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to grant ABS-CBN Corporation a "provisional permit" to operate pending the renewal of its franchise.

In a press conference, Lagman pointed out that if Congress could approve a joint concurrent resolution to allow ABS-CBN to temporarily operate, they could just as easily act on the pending measures for its franchise renewal.

"Why do you need to file a joint resolution? Why not act on the pending bills extending the franchise of ABS-CBN? Why take a detour when you can go directly?" he argued.

"Yan ay malinis, wala nang duda. Nobody can question that anymore... There is nothing insuperable with respect to the renewal of the franchise," Lagman added.

Agusan Del Norte Representative Lawrence Fortun and Ako Bicol party-list Representative Alfredo Garbin Jr. had both called for a joint concurrent resolution to be approved by both the Senate and the House of Representative urging the NTC to grant ABS-CBN a provisional permit to operate.

Fortun said that this was one way for Congress to be "clear and categorical" in its intention to allow the extension of ABS-CBN's operation even as its franchise expired.

There were 11 pending measures seeking to renew ABS-CBN's franchise for another 25 years, but the House Committee on Legislative Franchises has yet to hold a single hearing to deliberate them.

House Committee on Legislative Franchises Vice-Chairman Tonypet Albano, however, had claimed that ABS-CBN would have its "time and day" at the chamber for deliberations on the measures seeking its franchise's renewal.

"There will be a proper time and timing for ABS-CBN to be heard in the Franchise committee with the intention of having a thorough, fair and honest-to-goodness hearing," he said.

"We intend to give ABS-CBN its intended 'time and day' to answer all the critics, and to debate thoroughly on the merits of the case at hand, in order to make sure that the committee report is not only fair, but good for all stakeholders," he added. — DVM, GMA News