Cayetano: We were fair to ABS-CBN
Amid the flak, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano yesterday called on the general public to be more circumspect in their opinion about the House of Representatives’ refusal to grant ABS-CBN another 25-year legislative franchise.
“The House leadership asks that the people read the findings carefully in order to appreciate the reasons for their decision. And for those who do not agree, at the very least, understand why the decision had to be so,”
Cayetano said.
The Taguig congressman pointed out that the hearings conducted by the joint panel of the House committee on legislative franchises and good government – headed by Reps. Franz Alvarez and Jonathan Sy-Alvarado, respectively – were fair and objective.
“The House committed and delivered a time for Congress to conduct fair, impartial, thorough and comprehensive hearings on the application for franchise renewal of the ABS-CBN Corporation,” Cayetano said.
“Because of the highly partisan nature of this issue, we accepted from the start that there would be those who will vehemently disagree with the committee’s decision, no matter what they resolve,” he added.
The administration stalwart maintained that the process was “by no means easy for anyone involved in the proceedings, but assured the public that the final resolution was not arrived at without serious consideration of the overall impact it will have on the nation.”
He said the technical working group (TWG) took the opportunity to present policy recommendations with a view to crafting more responsive and effective legislation to address the many unresolved issues discussed in the course of ABS-CBN’s franchise application.
On the other hand, the TWG assured the public that the decision was in no way related to the freedom of the press, but rather a denial of a privilege granted by the state because ABS-CBN was seen as undeserving of the grant of a legislative franchise.
For Ang Probinsyano party-list Rep. Ronnie Ong, ABS-CBN should have been given a new franchise to operate, especially since the “public’s access to timely and relevant information is a basic right that empowers the people to make sound decisions.”
“Mass media are active partners or agents in ensuring the enjoyment by all of this right. Such access to information is also crucial now that we are in a pandemic,” the neophyte administration lawmaker said.
“In other words, in deciding on matters of broadcast franchises, the government is to be guided by the people’s right and welfare as the primordial interest in the renewal or approval of any media organization’s franchise,” Ong added.
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman lambasted presidential spokesman Harry Roque for claiming that the House ruling was the “decision of the Filipino people” since they “ratified the Constitution that bars a broadcast company from operating without a congressional franchise.”
“Roque errantly defended the congressional rejection,” Lagman said. “This justification is erroneous because nowhere in the 1987 Constitution are mass media outlets required to secure a legislative franchise from the Congress.”