Press Release
March 4, 2020

Senators back NTC issuing provisional authority for ABS-CBN Corporation

Senators filed P.S. Resolution No. 344 expressing the sense of the Senate authorizing the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to issue a provisional authority to ABS-CBN Corporation, its subsidiaries and/or affiliates, until the Congress' final disposition of the franchise renewal bills.

Prior to the resolution, Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. filed S. No. 1374, "An Act Amending Section 1 of Republic Act No. 7966 which aims to extend the term of the franchise until Dec. 31, 2020, believing that 10 months are enough for the congress to tackle the issue granting ABS-CBN its new franchise, and to avoid any legal question that may rise during the said period.

In an interview with DZMM's Dos Por Dos hosted by Anthony Taberna, the veteran legislator pointed out that the proposed provisional authority is a "temporary resolve," until the Congress arrives at a final disposition regarding the network's franchise renewal.

"Itong provisional authority ay medyo gray area ito, dahil ako'y naniniwala na dapat mayroong muna na valid at existing na prangkisa na galing sa Kongreso bago makapagbigay ng permit o authority ang NTC. But desperate time calls for desperate measure," Revilla said.

He further urged Congress to finally and speedily tackle the ABS-CBN Franchise bills to secure the employment of its more than 11,000 employees.

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