CAGAYAN de Oro City Second District Representative Rufus Rodriguez on Wednesday, May 6, expressed dismay over the National Telecommunications Commission's (NTC) order shutting down the operations of ABS-CBN, saying the commission will be made accountable to Congress.
In a statement, Rodriguez said it was unfortunate that the NTC "chose to ignore the collective voice of the House and the Senate for it to issue a provisional authority to ABS-CBN to allow it to pursue its broadcast services."
"I am angered! NTC committed to issue a provisional authority last March 11 hearing. It will be made accountable to Congress," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez on Wednesday asked Congress to grant the network a provisional franchise.
"I am filing today a new joint congressional resolution granting the temporary franchise. I am hoping we can expedite the hearings on this measure amid the Covid-19 pandemic even if we have to hear all stakeholders through the new normal videoconferencing platform," Rodriguez added.
The Kagay-anon lawmaker has earlier authored a resolution extending the ABS-CBN franchise for one year. It was among the at least 11 related proposals pending with the House committee on legislative franchises, most of which seek the extension of the network's broadcasting privilege.
Rodriguez is also filing Wednesday a separate bill granting ABS-CBN a new franchise for 25 years.
"It has to be a new grant and no longer renewal, since the radio-TV station's franchise already expired midnight of May 4," Rodriguez said.
"Now the remedy is for the House to speed up its hearings on my proposals for a temporary franchise and for the grant of a new 25-year broadcasting service privilege," he added.
Rodriguez also proposed that Congress include in any legislative franchise it would grant in the future an authority for the NTC or any concerned regulator to provisionally allow a franchise with an expired franchise and a renewal application pending with the House to continue operating until its application is rejected.
"Such authority expressly given to the regulator would prevent a recurrence of the bitter quarrel among public officials on whether ABS-CBN should continue broadcasting while the House is tackling the 11 pending renewal bills," he added.