House approves on second reading granting ABS-CBN a provisional franchise to operate

Earlier, the House of Representatives approved on a second reading the bill granting ABS-CBN a provisional franchise to operate until the end of October 2020.

ABS-CBN logo

Provisional franchise to operate

The approval of the bill arrived eight days following NTC's order to stop ABS-CBN's broadcast operations after its franchise expired last May 4.

To recall, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and several other lawmakers filed the House Bill No. 6732 or "An Act Granting the ABS-CBN Corporation A Franchise to Construct, Install, Operate and Maintain Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations in the Philippines, and For Other Purposes".

The bill is designed to grant the local media giant with a provisional franchise valid until October 31, 2020.

In the bill's explanatory note, the lawmakers said that this measure hopes to strike a balance between the immediate needs of the people amid his crisis and the duty of Congress to ensure accountability to our present laws.

The provisional franchise will give both the House of Representatives and the Senate to hear the issues regarding the renewal and if they will grant ABS-CBN another 25 years of the franchise.

Source: Inquirer