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ABS-CBN forced to release list of employees to be terminated in the coming weeks -Katigbak
By ERWIN COLCOL, GMA News Broadcast giant ABS-CBN will be forced to release a list of its employees who will be terminated "in the coming weeks" as it continues to go off air following the cease and desist order issued by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
ABS-CBN president and CEO Carlo Katigbak made the remark Tuesday as he faced lawmakers during the joint meeting of the House Committees on Legislative Franchises and on Good Government and Public Accountability to hear the bills granting the network another 25-year franchise.
In his opening statement, Katigbak said that as ABS-CBN strives to protect its employees while their broadcast operations are still suspended, it is not without limitations.
"Habang wala kami sa ere, palaki nang palaki ang nalulugi sa amin. At sa mga darating na linggo, mapipilitan na kaming maglabas ng listahan ng mga empleyadong mawawalan ng trabaho," he said.
"Sana makita ng Kongreso na nasa kapangyarihan ninyo ang kinabukasan nila," he added.
ABS-CBN went off air on May 5 after the NTC issued it a cease and desist order to stop its broadcast operations after its franchise expired on May 4.
Katigbak, in his speech, admitted that he is hurt seeing the situation of the company's employees, whom he also considers as his family, who fear losing their jobs especially amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
"May nagsasabi sa social media na nagpapa-awa lang daw kami. Sana makausap ninyo ang isang nanay o tatay na mawawalan ng hanapbuhay. Sana po maramdaman ninyo ang takot nila, kapag iniisip nila kung paano nila bubuhayin at papakainin ang kanilang pamilya. Sana po pakinggan ninyo ang boses ng aming mga kapamilya," he said.
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Katigbak maintained that there is no reason for the shutdown of ABS-CBN's broadcast operations, saying that no court has so far determined that they violated any law.
"Sinasabi po ng mga bumabatikos sa amin, the law is the law. We agree. The law is the law. And under the law, we are innocent unless proven guilty," he said.
"Masakit po itong nangyari sa amin. Umasa po kami sa hangarin ninyo at ng Senado na habang pinag-uusapan ang prangkisa, hindi po kami mawawala sa ere. Sa pag-shutdown namin, marami sa ating mga kababayan ang napagkaitan ng serbisyo ng ABS-CBN, lalung-lalo na sa panahon ng pandemya," he added.
The joint House panels began hearing the bills granting another 25-year franchise to ABS-CBN after the House leadership decided to drop the measure that would supposedly give the network a provisional franchise until October 31, 2020.
Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, himself an author of the provisional franchise bill, said the issue on the ABS-CBN franchise has already become "so divisive" and is taking up the time even as there are more pressing matters to discuss such as that of COVID-19 response measures.
He, however, vowed to have a fair and comprehensive hearings on the issue on the committee level.
The next hearing of the joint panels is set on Monday.—AOL, GMA News