MANILA - The House of Representatives is looking at a new timeline to pass a new bill filed and sponsored by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano to grant ABS-CBN Corp a provisional franchise through October 2020, albeit still within the current session period of Congress which ends first week of June, Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said Sunday.

Speaking on ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo, Rodriguez said that with the planned recall on Monday of the passage on 2nd reading of House Bill 6732, its projected enactment into law will be delayed by about a week.

• Lawmaker wants to undo 'risky' 2nd reading approval of ABS-CBN franchise, make amendments

Rodriguez said the recall will be done to be able to propose some amendments in the bill, and comply with the Constitutional requirement for bill readings to be done on separate days. The measure was approved on 1st and 2nd readings last Wednesday, which he attributes to the lawmakers’ “enthusiasm” that day.

On Friday, Rodriguez said he wants the removal of a provision in the bill requiring ABS-CBN to allot 10 percent of its advertisement airtime to “public service time for the judiciary, for the executive, for the legislature, for the constitutional commission,” saying this rule must come from the National Telecommunications Commission.

If Congress passes the bill on 2nd reading this week, Rodriguez said the 3rd reading can be done Monday next week (May 25, 2020).

“Ang 3rd reading niyan is already a nominal voting (3rd reading will already be by nominal voting). Each one will be asked, whether you vote Yes or No. And then, kung majority ‘yan (if majority wins), then it will be going to the Senate already. So, we will be delayed by about a week lang,” Rodriguez explained.

“May time pa tayo kasi June 3 pa ang aming last session day before the summer break. Sabi naman ng taga-Senado, si Majority Leader Migz Zubiri, that they are ready to accept that and to probably even just adopt our bill so that wala ng debate, wala ng bicameral conference committee, derecho na kay Presidente,” he added.

(We still have time because our last session day before the summer break is still on June 3. And the Senate, through Majority Leader Migz Zubiri, said that they are ready to accept that and to probably even just adopt our bill so that there will no longer be debates and a bicameral conference committee, and it will just go straight to the President.)

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Rodriguez, a former law dean who currently represents Cagayan de Oro City in the lower chamber of Congress, described the NTC’s issuance of a cease-and-desist order against ABS-CBN last May 5 due to its expired franchise, as “illegal” for violating procedural due process. The media giant’s broadcast franchise was valid only until May 4, while its application for a fresh 25-year license has been pending in Congress for some years already.

• NTC orders ABS-CBN to stop broadcasting
• ABS-CBN to go off air in compliance with NTC order
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Recalling the NTC officials’ commitment to Congress last March that it ABS-CBN will be given a provisional authority to operate, Rodriguez said the May 5 order was an act of disrespect.

“Nag-sorry sila, but that cannot anymore cure the problem that they violated the Constitution, and then they did harm to ABS-CBN. Eh, anti-graft din yan eh. So, the committee now is thinking of not only making them liable for contempt of the House, but also of the anti-graft law (for) causing undue injury to a private party,” he said.

(The NTC apologized, but that cannot cure anymore the problem that they violated the Constitution, and then they did harm to ABS-CBN. That's in violation of the anti-graft law.)

ABS-CBN halted its broadcast operations on TV and radio on the night of May 5, in compliance with the NTC order.

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