Hindi maaaring bigyan ng provisional authority (PA) ng National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) ang ABS-CBN kapag napaso na ang kontrata nito sa May 4, 2020.

Ang provisional authority ay para maipagpatuloy ng istasyon ang operasyon nito.



Ito ay ayon kay retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, sa panayam ni Pinky Webb sa programang The Source ng CNN Philippines, ngayong Martes, March 10.

Diin ni Justice Carpio: “I don’t think that the House or committee of the House has the authority to compel NTC to issue a provisional authority.

“In the first place, there’s a separation of power, and secondly, the provisional authority is given only if there is a franchise."

Ang NTC ay bahagi ng executive branch ng gobyerno, at ang Kongreso ay bahagi naman ng legislative branch.

Dagdag pa ni Carpio, “There is no basis to give a provisional authority because there is no franchise.”

Noong February 26, nagpadala ng sulat sa NTC ang House Committee on Legislative Franchises, na pinamumunuan ni Palawan Congressman Franz Alvarez, at pirmado ni House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.

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Layon ng sulat na hikayatin ang ahensiyang bigyan ng provisional authority ang ABS-CBN na makapag-broadcast pa rin kapag nag-expire na ang kanilang prangkisa.

Ayon kay Carpio, “By the time the franchise expires, there will be no franchise anymore.

“If there is no franchise, then you cannot issue a provisional authority.

“You can issue a provisional authority between now and May 4 because there is still a franchise.

"A franchise is necessary for a provisional authority.

“When the franchise expires, it is as if there is no franchise at all.

“So, you cannot argue that there was a prior franchise.

“Well, a prior franchise is prior, it's past, now there is none.

“And the requirement for a provisional authority is, there must be a franchise.”

Wala raw kapangyarihan ang Kongreso na pilitin ang NTC na bigyan ng provisional authority ang ABS-CBN.

Pahayag ni Carpio, “Yes, but there is also a joint resolution.

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"But when I was still in the court, before I left, I penned a decision that a joint resolution is not a law.

“It’s just… [it] expresses the sense of Congress.

"A joint resolution is not a law.

"And you need a law for a provisional authority.

"So my proposal is, Congress should pass a general law saying that when a franchise is about to expire, when a franchise expires, but it still pending renewal in Congress, then the franchise is deemed extended until Congress finally acts on it.”

Kailangan daw talaga ng batas na ganito, hindi lang para sa ABS-CBN kundi para sa lahat, upang maiwasan na ang mga ganitong sitwasyon sa hinaharap.

CARPIO ECHOES RETIRED SC CHIEF JUSTICE PUNO'S OPINION

Sa panayam noon ni Pinky kay retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno, sinabi ng dating mahistrado na hindi na maaaring mag-broadcast ang ABS-CBN pagkatapos ng May 4, araw ng pag-expire ng kanilang prangkisa.

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Sinegundahan naman ito ni Justice Carpio.

Sabi niya, “Yeah, I agree with him, because whether there’s no application or whether an application is filed, but the franchise expired just the same.

“There is no franchise.

"I mean, you need a franchise, existing and valid franchise, to get a provisional authority.

“If your franchise expired, but you have a pending application with Congress, still, you don’t have a franchise.”

Kaya sana raw ay magpasa ang Kongreso ng general law na nagsasabing kahit expired na ang prangkisa ay maaari pang umere ang isang radio o TV station, basta't may pending application.

Tungkol naman sa quo warranto na isinampa ni Solicitor General Jose Calida sa Supreme Court laban sa ABS-CBN, “immaterial” na raw ito sa ngayon.

Saad ni Justice Carpio, “Well, for me, it’s immaterial now because the franchise is about to expire.”

Samantala, sa hearing ng House Committee on Legislative Franchises ng Kongreso ngayong hapon, sinabi ng NTC, sa pamamagitan ni Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba, na bibigyan nila ng provisional authority ang ABS-CBN upang makapagpatuloy ito ng pag-ere pagkatapos ng May 4, 2020.