On Tuesday, July 5, the House of Makabayan bloc refiled a bill that seeks to renew ABS-CBN’s franchise for another 25 years.
House Bill No. 1218 was introduced by ACT Teachers Party-List Representative France Castro, Gabriela Party List Representative Arlene Brosas, and Kabataan Party List Representative Raoul Danniel Manuel.
Art of the bill’s explanatory note said, “to defy the rising tyranny, to stand for freedom and democracy. Thus, urgent passage of this bill is sought.”
To recall, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) issued a cease-and-desist order against ABS-CBN last May 5, 2020. This was after the NTC refused to renew the network’s franchise license earlier in February 2020. The TV network suffered financially, and it retrenched thousands of its employees.
Meanwhile, ABS-CBN TV and Entertainment Production head Laurenti Dyogi said that they are not hoping for ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal anymore.
He said, “We survived two years without the franchise and without the frequency. We will continue with what we are doing, the best what we could do to serve the public.
“Ako, kung ano ang mayroon kami ngayon, yun na lang ang tatrabahuhin namin.
“Ayoko nang umasa, nanggaling na kami dun, okay na kami.
“We will continue to be a content company. We will produce stars and produce a lot of contents.“
