House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano revealed that the House of Representatives is not in a hurry to tackle the pending franchise renewal bid of ABS-CBN.
In an event on Friday, Cayetano said that even without a franchise, the network can still operate as long as there are pending bills waiting for it at the lower house.
“Bakit ko sinasabing hindi urgent, don’t get me wrong. Napakalaki po ng franchise ng ABS-CBN. Hindi lang sa 11,000 empleyado. Importante ‘to sa buong bansa, sa democracy natin. Pero, hindi ganun ka-urgent. Bakit? Kasi, hanggang March 2022, puwedeng mag-operate, e, di ba?” Cayetano said.
RELATED STORY: ABS-CBN says it has no tax liabilities
Cayetano said that they would discuss the matter before March 2022 or later this year when the situation is ‘cooler’.
“Definitely before March 2022, possibly in May if we have cooler heads… worst case, after SONA,” Cayetano said.
“Huwag kayong mag-alala dahil hindi naman mag-o-off the air ang inyong mga paboritong show. Pero sa ngayon, napakaraming importanteng inaasikaso ng Kongreso,” he added.
The house leader assured that there will be a fair trial on the ABS-CBN franchise.
READ ON: Lawmakers: ABS-CBN can still operate even if franchise expires
“So, yung mga pinalabas ngayon na parang isang side lang, wala tayong pupuntahan kung ganun. Hindi ito eleksiyon, paramihan. Ano bang nakalagay sa logo ng ABS-CBN, ‘in the service of the Filipino people. Hindi in the service lang ng dilaw, hindi in the service lang ni Duterte,” he said.
“Hindi in the service lang ng pro-ABS. Kaya nga sinusuportahan niyong lahat sa media. So, question, is it a question of press freedom? Yes. Hindi mo puwedeng tanggalin na merong issue ng press freedom. Pero kuwestiyon, ‘pag hindi ba binigay ang prangkisa, patay na ang press freedom, hindi,” Cayetano added.
