Vilma Santos files new franchise bill for ABS-CBN

Batangas Representative Vilma Santos-Recto has filed a new bill seeking to renew the franchise of broadcast giant ABS-CBN.

In House Bill 8298, the deputy speaker proposed to renew the franchise granted to ABS-CBN for another 25 years, some seven months after the House Committee on Legislation Franchises denied its application backed by 12 other bills.

Santos-Recto initially announced her plan to file a new ABS-CBN franchise renewal bill after Senate President Vicente Sotto III lodged a similar measure in the Senate.

"Yes, I will (file a measure)," Santos-Recto told GMA News Online in a text message earlier this month. "It's the right thing to do."

When asked about the possibility of the measure getting approved this time around, she said: "(I) am hoping for the best!"

Back in July 2020, a total of 70 members of the House franchise panel voted to deny the franchise bid of ABS-CBN.

Despite the decision of the committee, Sotto said "nothing stops a congressman from filing a new franchise bill again" under the 18th Congress.

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as vice chair of the franchise panel, said all the previous measures for the ABS-CBN franchise renewal must first be withdrawn before a new one may be filed and the deliberations may be reopened.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

"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.

Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza believes, though, that the House plenary can simply recall or overrule the decision of the House panel.

"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.

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 started 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 2019. -NB, GMA News