Former newscaster and now Laguna Representative Sol Aragones appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to reconsider his decision about the franchise renewal of the Philippine television network ABS-CBN.
She stressed that many employees of the network will lose their jobs.
“I appeal to the President to reconsider his position on the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise, as its non-renewal or its sale to third parties may threaten the livelihoods of over 11,000 employees––many of whom I worked with during my stint as a reporter in the network,” Aragones said in an SMS interview with Manila Bulletin.
“The past three-plus years have shown that the President’s actions are guided by his concern and his compassion for our people. The President has consistently displayed tapang and malasakit during his tenure in Malacañang, and I appreciate and respect how these have translated to policy pronouncements,” she added.
Duterte aired his opposition towards the renewal of the franchise of ABS-CBN in 2019. The media giant will be forced to halt its operation by March 30, 2020 if the application to prolong its legislative franchise will be rejected.
The chairman of the House committee on legislative franchises and Palawan representative Franz Alvarez said that his board would discuss the nine bills on the television network’s renewal issue in early 2020.
