Senator Ronald Dela Rosa said that he’s not going to support the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN until the investigation is not yet done on the alleged illegal acts committed by the broadcasting company in the past.
In an interview, Dela Rosa said that the issue is not only about the 11,000 people who could lose their jobs if ABS-CBN closes down.
“What is 11,000 compared to the whole Filipino nation na matagal nang sinamantalahan ng isang kompanya kung talagang ma-prove yan sa hearing? What is 11,000 compared to the whole Filipino nation?” Dela Rosa said.
However, Dela Rosa wanted congress to probe ABS-CBN so they could clear themselves from the allegations being thrown against them.
The Senator said that he’s going to decide whether he’s going to support ABS-CBN or not based on the result of the investigation.
“E kung mabigat yung akusasyon na talagang maraming viniolate ang ABS, bakit mo pa i re-renew. Kung talagang ma-prove dun sa hearing na grabe.. sinamanlala ng husto ng ABS-CBN ang samabayanang Pilipino, bakit nyo pa i renew?” he said.
The Senator then admitted that the influence of President Rodrigo Duterte to him amid the issue of the ABS-CBN franchise is strong, saying that he’s going to “sink and swim” with him.
“Hindi ako plastic na magsabing wala akong bias. Totoong tao ako na magsabi na may bias ako towards the president,” he said.
President Duterte is a critic of ABS-CBN and he’s the one who warned the broadcasting network that their franchise is not going to be renewed.
ABS-CBN’s franchise is set to expire in March 2020, however several politicians are working to extend it even without renewing it.