- Teddy Locsin Jr. said that PNoy also stalled on ABS-CBN franchise renewal.
- ABS-CBN’s franchise will expire in March 2020.
Foreign Affairs Sec. Teddy Boy Locsin Jr. has alleged that former President Noynoy Aquino also didn’t want to renew ABS-CBN’s franchise.
In a tweet, Locsin said PNoy also indicated a lukewarm attitude towards ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal.
“Oddly PNoy too indicated he would not renew ABS-CBN’s franchise; only Joma Sison wants to renew it but will he do it when he is president? Ok. Back to my spiritual retreat,” he tweeted.
Oddly PNoy too indicated he would not renew ABSCBN’s franchise; only Joma Sison wants to renew it but will he do it when he is president? Ok. Back to my spiritual retreat.
— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) January 1, 2020
Locsin was a previous news anchor of ABS-CBN. Several projects he did for the Kapamilya network included The Assignment, Point of View, and The World Tonight.
ABS-CBN’s franchise is about to expire in March 2020. Until now the franchise renewal bills are still pending in Congress although House Committee on Legislative Franchises Chair Franz Alvarez said they are going to start deliberation when congress resumes on January 20.
The Kapamilya network’s franchise renewal bills have been stalled in Congress since 2016 because of President Rodrigo Duterte’s persistent public objections to it.
However, not known to many, ABS-CBN has also submitted their application for renewal as early as 2015 during the Aquino administration.
But the two bills filed under the 16th Congress were also not acted upon.
According to House insiders, ABS-CBN failed to secure renewal at that time because of strong opposition from other cable operators.
Aside from that, House allies of President Aquino were also hesitant because of the network’s continuous criticism against the administration which PNoy alleged felt was too offensive and personal to the point of nitpicking.
There were also speculations that PNoy asked ABS-CBN to remove its news anchors Noli De Castro and Ted Failon in exchange for renewal because of their harsh criticisms against his administration.
But it can be noted also that in 2015, there were still six years before the franchise was going to expire thus there was no need for expediency.
