Leftist solons score Duterte for 'harassing' ABS-CBN owners
Published Dec 31, 2019 12:00 am
By Ben Rosario
The embattled ABS-CBN broadcast franchise has won to its side the “true opposition” bloc in the House of Representatives.
House of Representatives (Congres PH / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
In separate statements, the left-leaning members of the Makabayan bloc chided President Rodrigo Duterte for “constantly harassing” the owners of one of the country’s top broadcast networks, saying that his grievances against ABS-CBN should be brought to the proper venue and not Congress.
Representatives Ferdinand Gaite (Bayan Muna party-list) and France Castro (ACT Teachers party-list) issued separate statements assailing the chief executive for telling ABS-CBN to “just sell the network.”
The Kabataan party-list, represented in the Lower House by Rep. Sarah Jane Elago, also compared Duterte’s alleged bid to “control mass media” as being similar to what was observed under the martial law dictatorship during the time of the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos.
"Duterte portrays himself as 'anti-oligarch' but actually supports a different clique of oligarchs. His statement that the Lopez family should just sell the network also cast another bad light on the issue because it would seem that another close friend of the president is interested in the company as what is happening with the water concessionaires," Gaite said.
Together with Castro, Gaite called for the conduct of a hearing on the application for an extension of the network’s legislative franchise.
ABS-CBN has applied for an extension of 25 years to its franchise that will expire on March 20. At least 11 House members, including key officials of the chamber, filed nine bills supporting the Kapamilya network’s bid.
“Ginagamit ng Pangulo ang poder ng pamahalaan para gumanti at maglabas ng personal na galit niya sa ABS-CBN,” Castro said. (The president is using the power of the state to retaliate and show his personal anger against ABS-CBN.”)
“We urge Congress to hear the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN—nine bills which have been pending since July 2019, the first month of the 18th Congress—because there should be nothing that keeps the House leadership and the Committee on Legislative Franchises from hearing and squarely finding out the issues against the media outfit. Congress should be fair,” the opposition lawmaker added.
The Kabataan party-list accused the Duterte administration of trying to control mass media and spreading “fake news and black propaganda” against legitimate political opposition.
Earlier, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano guaranteed due process for ABS-CBN’s bid to fight off its demise, saying that congressional hearings for the application of franchise extension will start when regular sessions resume on Jan. 20.
Nine separate legislative measures filed by 11 House members are set to be heard by the House committee on legislative franchises chaired by Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez.
The authors of the bills include four deputy speakers, one member of the influential commission on appointments; the head of the House contingent to the House of Representatives electoral tribunal, and two committee chairpersons.
House of Representatives (Congres PH / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
In separate statements, the left-leaning members of the Makabayan bloc chided President Rodrigo Duterte for “constantly harassing” the owners of one of the country’s top broadcast networks, saying that his grievances against ABS-CBN should be brought to the proper venue and not Congress.
Representatives Ferdinand Gaite (Bayan Muna party-list) and France Castro (ACT Teachers party-list) issued separate statements assailing the chief executive for telling ABS-CBN to “just sell the network.”
The Kabataan party-list, represented in the Lower House by Rep. Sarah Jane Elago, also compared Duterte’s alleged bid to “control mass media” as being similar to what was observed under the martial law dictatorship during the time of the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos.
"Duterte portrays himself as 'anti-oligarch' but actually supports a different clique of oligarchs. His statement that the Lopez family should just sell the network also cast another bad light on the issue because it would seem that another close friend of the president is interested in the company as what is happening with the water concessionaires," Gaite said.
Together with Castro, Gaite called for the conduct of a hearing on the application for an extension of the network’s legislative franchise.
ABS-CBN has applied for an extension of 25 years to its franchise that will expire on March 20. At least 11 House members, including key officials of the chamber, filed nine bills supporting the Kapamilya network’s bid.
“Ginagamit ng Pangulo ang poder ng pamahalaan para gumanti at maglabas ng personal na galit niya sa ABS-CBN,” Castro said. (The president is using the power of the state to retaliate and show his personal anger against ABS-CBN.”)
“We urge Congress to hear the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN—nine bills which have been pending since July 2019, the first month of the 18th Congress—because there should be nothing that keeps the House leadership and the Committee on Legislative Franchises from hearing and squarely finding out the issues against the media outfit. Congress should be fair,” the opposition lawmaker added.
The Kabataan party-list accused the Duterte administration of trying to control mass media and spreading “fake news and black propaganda” against legitimate political opposition.
Earlier, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano guaranteed due process for ABS-CBN’s bid to fight off its demise, saying that congressional hearings for the application of franchise extension will start when regular sessions resume on Jan. 20.
Nine separate legislative measures filed by 11 House members are set to be heard by the House committee on legislative franchises chaired by Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez.
The authors of the bills include four deputy speakers, one member of the influential commission on appointments; the head of the House contingent to the House of Representatives electoral tribunal, and two committee chairpersons.