Killing ABS-CBN Franchise Sends Warning To Media, Lawmakers Say
KILLING ABS-CBN FRANCHISE – Lawmakers are worried of the workers of the ABS-CBN franchise, adding that killing the franchise sends a warning to media that it will shut down one it “toes the line”.
According to PEP, Senator Grace Poe said that the “pandemic of intolerance has claimed another victim” referring to the denial of franchise renewal of ABS-CBN.
The 66-year-old network will continue to stop its operation after the House Committee on Legislative Franchises denied its franchise renewal.
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Due to this, about 11,000 people working with the network will lose their jobs.
“Thousands of breadwinners will lose their jobs, millions their source of entertainment and information,”
Poe added that despite the mistakes done by the network, it should have been given a chance to correct the said mistakes.
“The correct – and constitutional – response is to allow it to remedy them, the same chance extended to thousands of franchise applicants,”
“This is so because a media organization that occasionally commits mistakes is in the nation’s interest than one that is permanently muzzled,”
Poe’s Senate Committee on Public Services led the ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal on February 24, 2020.
During the hearing, officials from the Department of Justice (DOJ), National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) confirmed that the network did not violate any rules and deserved to have its renewed 25-year-long franchise.
However, the results hearing was nat the same between two Houses since in the committee level, it was denied.
Based on the report, Laguna 3rd District Representative Sol Aragones can’t help but feel emotional upon knowing the said denial. It has been remembered that Aragones was a former reporter of ABS-CBN News.
“Sana maunawaan naman po ng mga tao kung saan ako nanggagaling,”
“Thirteen years… thirteen years ho ako sa ABS-CBN na naghanapbuhay.”
“Pero sabi ko nga, hindi na po ito kuwento ko. Ito ay kuwento na ng mga manggagawa ng ABS-CBN na umaasa ng kanilang trabaho.”
Buhay Party-list Representative Lito Atienza, who also supported the ABS-CBN renewal, gave this reaction:
“If ABS-CBN is not given franchise, kiss credibility goodbye; we would rather have a defective media than have politicians controlling media,”
This was seconded by Senator Risa Hontiveros who said that this is a clear warning to the media regarding the situation. Hontiveros sees it as a warning from the goverment to the media that they will have it shutdown once it “toes the line”.
“May takot at pagbabanta ang mensaheng inihahatid ng gobyerno. Kapag kaaway ka, puwede kang ipasara.”
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