{"id":246391,"date":"2020-02-27T19:08:28","date_gmt":"2020-02-28T00:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=246391"},"modified":"2020-02-27T19:08:28","modified_gmt":"2020-02-28T00:08:28","slug":"ntc-cant-issue-abs-provisional-permit-sans-new-franchise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2020\/02\/27\/ntc-cant-issue-abs-provisional-permit-sans-new-franchise\/","title":{"rendered":"NTC can’t issue ABS provisional permit sans new franchise"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Lacson said the House should just act on the pending measures on the renewal of the network\u2019s legislative franchise as it is the only way for ABS-CBN to continue operating. (File photo by Judgefloro\/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MANILA<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Despite various actions from both Chambers of Congress seeking to extend the validity of ABS-CBN\u2019s franchise, the law prohibits the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) from issuing a provisional permit for the network to continue beyond the terms of its franchise, Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cKlaro sa<\/em>\u00a0jurisprudence, which is now part of the law of the land,\u00a0na<\/em>\u00a0without\u00a0a legislative franchise,\u00a0hindi mag-i-<\/em>issue\u00a0ng<\/em>\u00a0provisional permit\u00a0ang<\/em>\u00a0NTC (It is clear under jurisprudence, that without a legislative franchise, the NTC cannot issue a provisional permit),\u201d Lacson said in a press briefing, citing the 2003 Supreme Court decision penned by former Chief Justice Reynato Puno.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I don\u2019t know where the House of Representatives, the leadership at least, is coming from when they wrote NTC to issue a provisional permit.\u00a0Klaro naman sa batas; ang<\/em>\u00a0legislation\u00a0nasa amin, wala sa<\/em>\u00a0NTC (It is clear in the law: legislation is with Congress, not with the NTC),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The House earlier sent a letter to the NTC to allow the continued operation of the network pending final determination of its franchise renewal.<\/p>\n

Lacson also said it is for the same reason that he and Senate President Vicente Sotto III have reservations in signing the concurrent resolution filed by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon.<\/p>\n

Drilon filed Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 6 to express the sense of Congress that ABS-CBN \u201cshould be allowed to operate under the terms of its existing franchise pending final determination of the renewal of its franchise by the 18th Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n

The resolution also asked the NTC to issue the appropriate provisional authority to the broadcast network, after it noted that Congress has only a few session days remaining before the franchise of ABS-CBN expires on May 4.<\/p>\n

Lacson pointed out that a concurrent resolution, or even a joint resolution, cannot amend an existing law, as decided by the SC.<\/p>\n

\u201cHindi magagamit ng<\/em>\u00a0NTC\u00a0ang<\/em>\u00a0joint or concurrent resolution to issue a provisional permit. So\u00a0nagmumukha lang kaming parang nakakatawa naman na gagawa kami ng<\/em>\u00a0resolution\u00a0na alam naming, maski halimbawa gawin ng<\/em>\u00a0NTC\u00a0mag<\/em>-issue ng provisional permit, illegal\u00a0din yan<\/em>\u00a0(The NTC cannot use a joint or concurrent resolution to issue a provisional permit. So we will just look silly if we make a resolution that we know, that if ever the NTC will issue a provisional permit, is still illegal),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo\u00a0maski<\/em>\u00a01,000 joint resolutions\u00a0na walang<\/em>\u00a0effect and force of law\u00a0ang ipadala namin sa<\/em>\u00a0NTC,\u00a0anong gagawin ng<\/em>\u00a0NTC after May 4? Expired\u00a0pa rin \u2018yan<\/em>\u00a0(Even if we send NTC 1,000 resolutions that have no effect and force of law, what will the NTC do after May 4? The franchise is still expired),\u201d Lacson said.<\/p>\n

The Puno decision also invalidates the \u201cequity principle\u201d being touted by the network\u2019s supporters, Lacson said.<\/p>\n

The equity principle was floated by Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra last Monday, noting that considerations of equity have been applied in previous similar situations, \u201call of whom were allowed to operate despite expired franchises as long as the application for the renewal of these franchises is lodged with the Congress before the lapse of their term.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKung na<\/em>-practice (If it was practiced) before, it will not legalize\u00a0kung wala sa batas<\/em>\u00a0(if it is not in the law).\u00a0Yan ang sinasabi ni<\/em>\u00a0CJ Puno (That\u2019s what Puno was saying). Ang practice in the past does not make it legal,\u201d Lacson said.<\/p>\n

Lacson said the House should just act on the pending measures on the renewal of the network\u2019s legislative franchise as it is the only way for ABS-CBN to continue operating.<\/p>\n

\u201cWala akong nakitang remedyo kung walang<\/em>\u00a0legislative franchise (I don\u2019t see any remedy if there is no legislative franchise),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MANILA\u00a0\u2013 Despite various actions from both Chambers of Congress seeking to extend the validity of ABS-CBN\u2019s franchise, the law prohibits …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":246102,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1145,16,95],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-246391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headline","category-news","category-news-ph","mauthors-jose-cielito-reganit","mauthors-philippine-news-agency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246391"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":246393,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246391\/revisions\/246393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}