Lawyer drafts proposal to grant ABS-CBN franchise through people's initiative

A lawyer has drafted a proposal for a petition to grant ABS-CBN a franchise through a people's initiative.

Dino De Leon said the sovereign people can directly pass a law granting ABS-CBN a franchise pursuant to Republic Act No. 6735 or the Initiative and Referendum Act.

This comes after the House of Representatives' franchise committee voted last Friday to deny the broadcast network's franchise application. ABS-CBN's previous franchise expired on May 4.

De Leon said in a Facebook post that he and his legal team have drafted a proposed initiative on the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN and analyzed the requirements to make such an initiative possible.

"It is high time that we put Congress in its proper place and to counter their disservice to the People," De Leon said.

"We need not wait for 2022. We can strengthen our democratic institutions now without relying on another messiah who will promise to salvage us 'in 3-6 months,'" he added.

De Leon is also the lawyer who petitioned the Supreme Court to compel the Office of the President to disclose President Rodrigo Duterte's health records. The court rejected his petition last May.

Republic Act 6735 says that to exercise the power of initiative or referendum, at least 10% of the total number of registered voters, and at least 3% of voters in every legislative district, should sign a petition and register it with the Commission of Elections (Comelec).

The Comelec is mandated by law to supervise the conduct of an initiative or referendum.

There were at least 61 million registered voters during the 2019 midterm elections.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque earlier said Malacañang will defer to the Supreme Court should it decide on whether a people's initiative can be used to grant ABS-CBN a franchise. —KBK, GMA News