Jamayka Rhose Pascual

A bill seeking to grant ABS-CBN Corporation a new 25-year franchise was filed by Albay Second District Representative Joey Salceda on January 7, 2025.

Photos Courtesy of Joey Salceda/AP.

Salceda filed House Bill (HB) 1152 in the House of Representatives, citing the need to address the franchise denial’s impact on press freedom.

The HB 1152 is also known as “An Act Granting ABS-CBN Corporation (formerly ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation) a Franchise to construct, Install, Operate and Maintain Television and Radio Broadcasting Stations in the Philippines and for Other Purposes.”

In his explanatory notes, Salceda emphasized that ABS-CBN’s shutdown in 2020 affected the public access to reliable news significantly.

He noted that over 30% of Filipinos relied on the network for news and entertainment before its franchise renewal was rejected.

“Prior to rejection of the franchise renewal, some 36% of Filipinos derived their news and entertainment from the channel. ABS-CBN’s extensive regional network reach was also the source for news and updates on impending disasters, making the channel crucial then to disaster risk reduction strategies at the local level,” he stated.

Salceda also highlighted how the absence of ABS-CBN during the pandemic created “information asymmetries” that contributed to higher COVID-19 infection rates.

“The non-renewal of the franchise, however, cost some 11,000 direct jobs. This representation also argued that the information asymmetries that resulted from the loss of an information source caused thousands of new Covid-19 infections during the critical 2020 period,” he added.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Bureau of Internal Revenue have also cleared ABS-CBN of ownership and tax violations.

“The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Bureau of Internal Revenue, during House deliberations on the ABS-CBN franchise in the previous Congress, certified that the franchise grantee did not violate ownership restrictions and did not have pending tax liabilities,” Salceda said

ABS-CBN’s closure in May 2020 followed threats from former President Rodrigo Duterte over alleged biased reporting.

Civil society and media groups criticized the move, describing it as a blow to press freedom and democracy.

Salceda then urged Congress to reconsider the non-renewal, calling ABS-CBN a vital source of information for Filipinos.

He said that ABS-CBN “remains the single most important news source in Albay,” even without a franchise.

The bill, if passed, could revive ABS-CBN’s role in holding power to account and disseminating critical information nationwide.