Senate President Tito Sotto insisted that the Senate will abide to procedures set by the Constitution in the granting of franchises to public utilities like ABS-CBN and they will not resort to shortcuts.
“We follow specific procedures in granting franchises,” Sotto said in a statement on Saturday.
“We cannot do away with certain steps to fast-track the process, or else we can be unjustly accused of currying favors to specific parties,” he added.
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Senators had a hearing last Monday on the issues hounding the network’s franchise.
Senator Franklin Drilon filed a concurrent resolution saying that ABS-CBN “should be allowed to operate under the terms of its existing franchise pending final determination of the renewal of its franchise by the 18th Congress.”
The network’s franchise is set to expire on May 4.
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Sotto assured the Kapamilya network that there will be no unbiased treatment on ABS-CBN and other pending legislative franchise bills.
“We were elected to serve and protect the interest of our people, not the interest of a few, and we vow to always be faithful to our sworn oaths,” Sotto said.
