As the final house hearing for the franchise renewal bills of ABS-CBN Network resumes on Monday, July 6, it will be decided if the shuttered network will permanently be closed leaving 11 thousand employees jobless, or will be granted a fresh 25-year franchise allowing it to resume its broadcast operations on-air.
Whatever will be decided, the fate of the ABS-CBN network lies in the hands of the 91 congressmen who are members of the Joint Committee for Legislative Franchises and Good Governance and Public Accountability which are in charge in tackling its franchise renewal bills.
The chairperson of the committee on legislative franchises is Palawan 1st District Representative Franz Alvarez.
Part of the committee are 45 congressmen including Abraham Tolentino (Cavite, 8th District), Antonio Albano (Isabela, 1st District), Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado (Bulacan, 1st District), Jose Tejada (North Cotabato, 3rd District), Faustino Michael Dy (Isabela, 5th District), Cyrille Abueg-Zaldivar (Palawan, Second District), Faustino Dy (Isabela, 6th District), Dale Malapitan (Caloocan City, 1st District), Eric Martinez (Valenzuela City, 2nd District), and Alfred Vargas (Quezon City, 2nd District).
Other members of the committee include Divina Grace Yu (Zamboanga Del Sur, 1st District), Julienne Baronda (Iloilo City), Luis Ferrer IV (Cavite, 6th District), John Marvin Nieto aka Yul Servo (Manila, 3rd District), Strike Revilla (Cavite, 2nd District), Samantha Louise Alfonso (Cagayan, 2nd District).
Rolando Valeriano (Manila, 2nd District), Sol Aragones (Laguna, 3rd District), Joaquin Chipeco Jr. (Calamba City), Eduardo Gullas (Cebu, 1st District), Budoy Madrona (Romblon), and Ian Paul Dy (Isabela, 3rd District).
Meanwhile, ABS-CBN President & CEO Carlo Katigbak released a statement for the supporters of the media conglomerate.
In his message, he expressed his gratitude for those who have shown their support for ABS-CBN and asked for the public’s prayers and support for the network to overcome the challenges it’s facing.
He said, “I would like to thank everyone who has encouraged us, prayed for us, and given us hope over these past few weeks. Your message has have given us strength as we go through this difficult process. We are hopeful that the hearings will soon come to a close, and we would like to lean you again for your support and prayers.”
Furthermore, he encouraged the public supporters to voice out their opinions as he believed that it shall be heard. “We have always considered ABS-CBN first and foremost a public service. You are our reason for being.
“If you believe our service to be important and valuable to you, and if you believe that ABS-CBN is deserving to continue providing that service, please let your thoughts and feelings be heard.
“Thank you always to you, our dearest Kapamilya,” he said.
The last House hearing tackling the franchise renewal bills of ABS-CBN Corp. held last Thursday, July 2 had been plagued with controversy and heated arguments between congressmen and executives of the embattled network as the House looked into ABS-CBN’s supposed ‘tax evasion’ scheme with its overseas subsidiary, Big Dipper.
