House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano guaranteed yesterday that the House of Representatives “will be fair” in its treatment of the application for legislative franchise extension of broadcast giant ABS-CBN.
One of the country’s largest network and multi-media firm owned by the Lopez family, which has earned the ire of President Duterte, will have to go off the air by March 2020, unless its expiring legislative franchise is extended by Congress.
In a television interview with ABS-CBN’s Karen Davila, Cayetano said chairpersons of various committees in the House have been directed to focus and dispose of all priority bills.
“It is our duty to be fair,” stressed Cayetano during the interview.
Davila raised the ABS-CBN franchise issue near the end of her interview with the House leader at ANC, specifically with three minutes left in her program.
“I have to ask you, the ABS-CBN franchise will be tackled before the end of 2019, I mean the bill sitting there for months?” she asked.
The ANC senior journalist also pointed out that at least five bills have been filed calling for a 25-year extension of the ABS-CBN legislative franchise.
Cayetano candidly stated that there are “real issues” raised against the ABS-CBN that requires the House to conduct a hearing to enable the public to know “sino ba ang tama at mali?”
“And I’m not referring to the President kasi ‘di ba the President said na he will file an objection, he said his last term ‘no? So that’s between ABS-CBN and the President because I’m sure may legitimate criticism ang Pangulo,” explained Cayetano.
The House leader said he also harbors personal issues against the network.
“On one hand, I feel that we have to protect the freedom of the press and freedom of expression. On the other hand, I feel there’s certain instances in history and in the 2016 election na naki-alam unjustly some sectors or some leaders of ABS, so how do you sort it out?” he said. (Ben R. Rosario)