House may reconsider ABS-CBN franchise application —Atienza

For Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza, the shorter route to reopen the House deliberations on the ABS-CBN franchise renewal is to move for the reconsideration of the denial of the network's application back in July last year.

Atienza made the remark amid renewed talks on the franchise renewal of the broadcast giant after Senate President Vicente Sotto III filed a Senate measure for such purpose on Monday.

In a virtual interview with reporters, Atienza said that since the issue of the ABS-CBN franchise renewal is still with the Committee on Legislative Franchises, the House plenary may take over and discuss it on the floor.

A decision of the House plenary could also rectify the "questionable" process that the franchise panel undertook and the "brow-beating" during the deliberations on the issue.

"Rather than refiling, I would say a motion for reconsideration of the decision of the committee, that is a shorter route towards an acceptable result of the deliberations," Atienza said.

"Huwag na nating ibalik, let’s continue where they left off," he added.

Following Sotto's filing of an ABS-CBN franchise renewal bill in the Senate, Deputy Speaker Vilma Santos-Recto said she will file next week a fresh counterpart measure in the House.

However, Anakalusugan party-list Representative Mike Defensor, who serves as vice chair of the franchise panel, said all the previous measures for the ABS-CBN franchise renewal must first be withdrawn before a new one may be filed and the deliberations may be reopened.

According to him, when the committee decided to deny the franchise application of ABS-CBN, the measures proposing it were simply "laid on the table" or set aside, and they have not been junked altogether.

At least 12 bills were filed at the House during the 18th Congress to extend the franchise of ABS-CBN for another 25 years.

"Ang process dapat, kung gusto nilang mangyari yung mag-file sila ng bagong bill, lahat ng authors na original na nag-file dito, mag-withdraw, so wala na yung bill. And then they can refile," Defensor said.

Atienza believes, though, that the House plenary under Speaker Lord Allan Velasco can simply recall or overrule the decision of the House panel, then under the leadership of Taguig-Pateros Representative Alan Peter Cayetano.

"It’s the plenary that has the supreme authority over all matters in Congress, it’s not the committee," he said.

"With the kind of leadership we have now, I consider him fair, gentleman, and stricter to the rule of law and the Constitution, I believe the arguments of those in favor of reconsideration will have a good chance," he added.

Atienza said he would still consult his colleagues about reconsidering the franchise panel's denial of ABS-CBN franchise bid.

He added that he is open to make the motion for reconsideration himself.

"The important thing is for us to take up the issue now that the Senate has taken a very serious consideration of the matter," he said.

ABS-CBN's franchise lapsed on May 4, 2020. It went off air the following day after the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) issued a cease and desist order.

The NTC's action was contrary to NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba’s statement before the House of Representatives in March that they would issue a provisional authority to ABS-CBN to allow its continued broadcast operations "based on equity."

The House only decided to start its deliberations on bills seeking ABS-CBN's franchise renewal last March 10 even though these proposals had been pending in Congress since the beginning of the 18th Congress in July.—LDF, GMA News