ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal cannot be decided in a vacuum — Drilon

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Friday opposed the the opinion of two retired Supreme Court justices regarding the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN, pointing out that there are 11,000 jobs at stake.

“This issue on ABS-CBN cannot be decided in a vacuum as the retired justices want Congress to do. Our conscience will not allow us to do that, because the reality is, 11,000 jobs are on the line here,” Drilon said.

Former Supreme Court chief justice Reynato Puno opined that the broadcast network has to cease operations unless the House of Representatives grants it a provisional permit. He said that the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) cannot issue a provisional authority to ABS-CBN.

On the other hand, retired justice Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez underscored in another report that a new law is needed—not resolutions from Congress—to allow the network's operations beyond May 4.

“By their interpretation, we put at risk the livelihood of 11,000 employees and the future of their families, without giving an opportunity for a rational discussion,” Drilon said.

"The secretary of justice has ruled that there are sufficient equitable grounds to let ABS-CBN to continue broadcasting pending the process of renewal in Congress. There is no harm in letting the NTC to continue its practice of granting a provisional authority as it has done in the past,” he added.

Drilon, who filed a concurrent resolution on the matter earlier this week, also stressed that there were precedents on record showing that other franchisees had been allowed to continue operations while their franchise renewals were pending.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra sent a letter to the NTC on Wednesday to formalizes his suggestion that a concurrent resolution by Congress would provide legal basis to the"established practice" of allowing organizations with pending franchise renewal bills to continue operating past the expiration of their existing license.

Congress has only six remaining plenary session days before going on a break. It will only resume sessions on May 4—the same day when ABS-CBN's 25-year franchise is set to expire. — Dona Magsino/RSJ, GMA News