Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to “ignore” the ABS-CBN franchise granted by Congress.
ABS-CBN FRANCHISE – Any franchise to be given to the Lopez Group of Companies will be ignored says PH President Rodrigo Duterte.
“I will not allow the NTC (National Telecommunications Commission) to grant them the permit to operate,” says President Rodrigo Duterte in his recent national address regarding the new franchise for the shutdown ABS-CBN network.
He indicated that he has no problem if Congress will restore the franchise of the Lopezes as long as it won’t return to operate. The chief executive has the power to veto this franchise and the NTC is under the executive branch spearheaded by him. He won’t let the network run even with the franchise.
To recall, he also made similar rants in a speech but did not mention the Lopezes or ABS-CBN. In his latest address, he even said that giving the Lopezes the franchise is like “giving them a prize for committing criminal acts”.
“Unless in a deal, the Lopezes would pay their taxes, I will not — I will ignore your franchise, and I will not give them the license to operate,” Duterte also added.
To recall. last July 10, 2020, the biggest network in the country lost their chance to have a new franchise to operate when it met expiration and their bid got junked. In a previous article, Chair of House franchise panel Franz Alvarez said that the issue of the network is best tackled by the next Congress.
Deputy Speaker Vilma Santos-Recto and Senate President Vicente Sotto already filed a bill seeking a new franchise for the network.
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