Drilon files concurrent reso seeking to extend ABS-CBN operations

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Wednesday filed a concurrent resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that ABS-CBN Corporation should continue to operate pending the final determination of the renewal of its franchise by the 18th Congress.

In Concurrent Resolution 6, Drilon said with only eight session days remaining before Congress goes on a break starting March 13 and resume session on May 4 and the franchise of the television network set to expire on the same day, the Senate and House need additional time to discuss the television network’s renewal of franchise.

“Both the Senate and the House of Representatives need additional time to review and determine whether or not ABS-CBN Corporation shall be granted the renewal of its franchise,” he said.

He added the Department of Justice had opined that the grant of franchise is an exercise of sovereign power and under the 1987 Constitution, that power is vested in Congress.

He said by necessary implication, such power of Congress also includes the power to prescribe the rights of the franchisee-applicant pending final determination of the renewal of the network’s franchise by Congress.

“It is therefore respectfully submitted that the Congress, by concurrent resolution, may authorize the National Telecommunications Commission to issue a provisional authority, subject to terms and conditions, to ABS-CBN and other entities similarly situated, authorizing them to continue operating subject to Congress’ eventual disposition of the renewal applications,” he said. 

Bills seeking ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal have yet to be discussed at the House. At the same time, the television network is also facing a quo warranto petition before the Supreme Court filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida.

In his petition, Calida had alleged “highly abusive practices” on the part of ABS-CBN, including operating a pay-per-view channel supposedly without a permit from the government and issuing Philippine Depositary Receipts to foreigners.

Also on Wednesday, a labor group urged the high court to rule in favor of ABS-CBN's 11,000 workers as the network faces a petition seeking the forfeiture of its soon-to-expire franchise.

As the justices meet for their regular en banc session, Defend Job Philippines said the court must uphold the jobs of the broadcast company's employees, “safeguard free press and the Filipino people's right to know and of information.” 

The Supreme Court has set the resumption of deliberations on the quo warranto petition for March 10, to extend the justices’ lead time.

“This is to give the justices time to go over the pleadings submitted by the parties, including the comments recently filed by the respondents,” court spokesman Brian Keith Hosaka said. — RSJ, GMA News