Laguna’s 3rd District Representative Sol Aragones made an appeal to President Rodrigo Duterte to change his heart over the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN for the sake of thousands of employees could possibly lose their job if ever that the television network giant closes.
In a statement, Aragones who worked as a Kapamilya broadcaster from 1998 to 2012 said that the latest suggestion of President Rodrigo Duterte to the owners of ABS-CBN to sell the company to other businessmen could still affect the livelihood of 11,000 employees of the said network.
“I appeal to the President to reconsider his position on the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise, as its non-renewal or its sale to third parties may threaten the livelihoods of over 11,000 employees––many of whom I worked with during my stint as a reporter in the network,” said Aragones.
Aragones is hopeful that President Duterte could still change his mind as she witnessed how the chief executive care for his people.
“The President has consistently displayed tapang and malasakit during his tenure in Malacañang, and I appreciate and respect how these have translated to policy pronouncements,” she said.
“As chairman of the House Committee on Tourism, I have personally seen firsthand how presidential directives with regard to Boracay and Manila Bay have resulted in the successful rehabilitation of these two tourist spots and the strict implementation of environmental laws that will preserve these sites for generations to come,” she added.
Meanwhile, Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez said that they’re going to investigate the complaints against ABS-CBN so they could find out if the television network is deserved for franchise renewal.
“Does the President and many others who have made statements against ABS-CBN’s election coverage and election ad placement system, have a legitimate grievance against ABS-CBN? Did ABS-CBN violate the provisions of its franchise?” Alvarez stressed.
“Can ABS-CBN credibly defend its privilege of being granted a renewal of its franchise? These are just some of the questions that our committee will seek to answer when we conduct hearings on the matter once Congress resumes session three weeks from now,” he added.
ABS-CBN is the biggest network in the Philippines and its franchise is set to expire in March this year.
President Duterte until now is still opposing the franchise renewal because of past issues.