House removes from records solon's discussion on ABS-CBN franchise

The House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to strike from the records a congressman's discussion of the issues surrounding the ABS-CBN franchise.

House Minority Leader Benny Abante had delivered a privilege speech calling for the abolition of the National Telecommunications Commission a day after the NTC ordered ABS-CBN to cease operations.

The broadcast network's franchise expired on May 4.

He said NTC's issuance of a cease and desist order against ABS-CBN was a "slap in the face of Congress and an outright act of defiance."

Abante said both houses of Congress had moved to allow the continuous operation of ABS-CBN, with the Housewriting to NTC and the Senate passing a resolution calling on the commission to issue a provisional authority to operate on ABS-CBN.

He added that the legal opinion of the Department of Justice was to the effect that there was basis for ABS-CBN to be given the authority to continue operating.

This opinion was even used by the NTC in committing under oath during a March 10 House legislative franchises panel hearing that it will grant a provisional authority to the TV network, the lawmaker pointed out.

Eventually, no provisional authority was issued and the NTC instead ordered ABS-CBN on Tuesday to cease its broadcast operations.

"Ang ginawang ito ng NTC ay hindi maaaring palampasin ng Kongreso. This is an open defiance and an insult to Congress," Abante said.

"The NTC should be abolished and its functions and powers be transferred to the DICT where it can be better exercised and hopefully be more responsive to the needs of our changing times," he added.

But after Abante finished his speech, Senior Deputy Majority Leader Crispin "Boying" Remulla stood up and moved to remove Abante's discussion on the ABS-CBN franchise issue from the records.

"I move to strike out all the remarks that have to do with ABS-CBN since we made clear that it will not be discussed in the plenary today since the rules prohibit the discussion of ABS-CBN as it is already pending in committee," Remulla said.

Section 102 of the House rules state that "the presiding officer shall declare out of order a Member who rises on a question of personal or collective privilege to speak on concerns that are principally and directly related to the subject matter of measures pending in any committee or in plenary session."

The issue of the ABS-CBN franchise is already being deliberated in the House Committee on Legislative Franchises.

With no objection from the floor, the House approved Remulla's motion.

Several lawmakers have been issuing calls on the House leadership to immediately deliberate on the ABS-CBN franchise issue, which further amplified after the shutting down of the network's broadcast operations.

House Committee on Legislative Franchises chair Franz Alvarez, however, is supposedly still waiting for the directive of the House leadership on the conduct of the hearings, said panel member Ako Bicol party-list Representative Alfredo Garbin Jr.

Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano has yet to make comment on the newest developments on the ABS-CBN franchise issue.  -NB, GMA News