Lawmakers not acting on ABS-CBN franchise because they’re afraid of Duterte —Atienza

Buhay party-list Representative Lito Atienza on Tuesday said that members of Congress are not working on the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN Corporation because they fear President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Ayaw niyong aksyunan dahil takot kayo. Ayaw niyong sumuway sa sinasabi ng ating Pangulo,” Atienza said in a press conference.

“Lahat ng pinag-uusapan natin dito, dapat sa Kongreso e,” he added.

Atienza is one of at least 25 lawmakers who have authored bills seeking a franchise renewal for ABS-CBN.

Duterte had consistently threatened to cut ABS-CBN's franchise, as he claimed the network did not air his paid political advertisements during the 2016 election campaign.

House Committee on Legislative Franchises vice chair and Isabela Representative Antonio Albano earlier admitted feeling pressure from both sides over the renewal of the franchise.

Atienza said that Congress's lack of action on the issue makes the legislative body ineffective.

“When the franchise is not being discussed—including  the Speaker,  inuupan lang ‘yung issue—kapag ganun, hindi na kailangan ng Kongreso,” he said.

ABS-CBN’s franchise will expire on March 30. The bills seeking for its renewal have been pending in the House since August 2019.

Amid the lack of action in the House, the Senate has set a hearing on the bills concerning the network's franchise renewal for February 27.

UP Diliman professor Danilo Arao, editor of Media Asia Journal and Bulatlat, highlighted the president’s pattern of alleged media harassment since 2016.

“That is, before Duterte assumed office, he made public remarks about journalists [being] corrupt, at the same time, deserving to die,” Arao said in the press conference.

Another statement about media followed in 2017 during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) as he accused some news organizations of being foreign-owned and biased, Arao added. — BM, GMA News