A long-running controversy, a national dispute.
The ABS-CBN franchise renewal has been on the face of newspapers and of
online news outlets, with several theories of why it had been shut down or why
there was an issue, to begin with. Many had speculated it to be due to
misunderstandings between current President Rodrigo Duterte and the
broadcasting centre, some say it is due to ABS-CBN’s multitude of violations
such as labour breaches, “pay-per-view” channels without approval from NTC,
bias news reporting and others.
The main argument of those who want to restrain the renewal of the franchise
is ABS-CBN’s tax evasion schemes and ownership and management by foreigners.
The ones who want it renewed is because they want to uphold the freedom of the
press and expression as well as to support the 11,000 workers who were
rendered unemployed due to its sudden closure.
News journals and articles attest to ABS-CBN’s innocence, with GMA News and
CNN Philippines backing up the argument that the broadcasting station has no
violation committed, has no tax liabilities, and are fully compliant to DOLE
directives. The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) admits that
ABS-CBN did not violate any franchise terms and the Department of Justice
(DOJ) states that Eugenio Gabby Lopez III, the chairman of ABS-CBN
Corporation, is a Filipino citizen.
For the issue on taxes, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Securities
and Exchange Commission (SEC), both had admitted that ABS-CBN had been paying
their dues and obligations. It has been pointed out that the broadcasting
network had regularly filed and paid their taxes, amounting to P14.39 billion
from the years 2016-2019 and that there is no pending violation up for debate
nor investigation.
Labour Undersecretary Ana Dione had stated that ABS-CBN had, “fully complied”
with general labour standards, occupational health and safety standards, and
measures to ensure the security of tenure of its employees following
“directives” issued by the Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE)” And
there were accounts and testimonies to say that, indeed, ABS-CBN has been
treating its workers well.
According to Christian V. Esguerra, a writer ABS-CBN News, the NTC had stated
that, “ABS-CBN Corp. did not violate the terms of its old franchise when it
introduced multiple programs through its TV plus digital boxes.” This just
affirms the thought that ABS-CBN has its permits for its broadcast services,
the six programs in one channel is ultimately allowed.
Overall, many had seen the closure of ABS-CBN as an attack to broadcast media,
with fallacies up and about destroying its reputation. But just as we have
much evidence to prove that the station had own up to its end of the bargain,
the House of Representatives seems to think otherwise.
Neil Arwin Mercado, a reporter for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, has
stated, “After 12 gruelling marathon hearings tackling several issues hounding
media giant ABS-CBN’s bid for a 25-year franchise, lawmakers who are for and
against the franchise summed up their arguments on Thursday, marking the end
of the debates on the highly contentious issue—at least in the House committee
level.”
With a 70-11 vote, leaning towards the denial of the ABS-CBN franchise
renewal, it seems to be the “end of the road” for the broadcasting station.
The House of Representatives, with the recommendation of the Technical Working
Group (TWG), has found that the resolution for the franchise application is by
no means related to “freedom of the press.” The apparent closure of the
broadcasting station is due to it being violative of the Philippine
Constitution and that it is unworthy of a renewal.
The Panel defends their contentions through the following statements, (1)
Eugenio Lopez became the President of ABS-CBN before being recognized as a
Filipino and that there is doubt to his allegiance to the Philippines. Lopez
was the CEO of the broadcasting station in the year 1993, but it was only in
2001 where he had applied for recognition of his Philippine citizenship. (2)
ABS-CBN were issuing Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDR) to foreigners,
holding that there is apparent favour of foreigners with shares leaning
towards them. (3) The Broadcasting station had reached its 50-year limit,
violating Section 11, Article XII of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. (4)
ABS-CBN’s labour practices are less than desirable, often times leading to the
illegal dismissal of workers. And plenty more others that involve tax evasion,
the TV plus box, and KBO pay-per-view which violates laws and provisions of
the Philippine Constitution.
From reading this post, to weigh the truth and to choose a side is upon you,
the reader.
I still saw it as an attack to press freedom and an apparent slow, political
decay.
The congress does not speak for the people nor were their will the same as the
citizen’s sentiments. ABS-CBN has committed abuses, that much is clear. But
they still served as the voice of the people, reaching even the impoverished,
to hear of reliable news sources as well as offering some amusement.
But, as I state above, to look at the situation is entirely yours. For
me, I want them to know that the closure should not have happened. I stand by
my favourite quote, “A little hope, no matter how desperate, is never without
worth.”
References:
https://businessmirror.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/TWG-Findings1.pdf
https://time.com/5865433/philippines-abs-cbn-tv-shut-down/
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1304840/house-panel-denies-abs-cbns-25-year-franchise-renewal-bid
https://www.rappler.com/views/imho/247059-opinion-abs-cbn-struggle-obtain-franchise
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABS-CBN_franchise_renewal_controversy
https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/06/29/20/abs-cbn-fully-compliant-with-labor-standards-dole-exec
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/6/29/NTC-no-violation-ABS-CBN-TV-Plus-.html
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1232594/abs-cbn-regularly-paying-taxes-bir-official
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/2/24/ABS-CBN-SEC-BIR-no-violations.html
2 comments:
Great article! This allowed to give me a gist of the two sides of the coin. The article is comprehensive and I stand with you points dear author. Reading this article emphasizes on the ugly truth that continues to linger in Philippine Government. My heart breaks for their workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic. I hope everyone would wake up and vote better leaders this coming election. It is easier said than done but it is possible for our country to rise again😊🌟
As much as I want to stay neutral, this year's controversies are just getting worse and worse and it just keeps showing the ugly side of everything. It's sad that this happened, especially in this time of need. When finances are tight and information is crucial; 11,000 lost their jobs and a thousand more won't be able to easily access information as they used to.
What's more sad is that people fail to see the injustice in this issue, that they're content with just going with the decision to shut down the media giant without fully realizing what it entails.
Anyways. Great article as always!
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