FACT CHECK | Rodante Marcoleta’s claim on the ABS-CBN shutdown lacks context

March 2, 2022 , 02:48 PM

By Mikee Garcia

(March 2, 2022) – In a campaign rally in Pangasinan, Party-List congressman Rodante Marcoleta boasted to a crowd about his House committee vote to deny ABS-CBN a legislative franchise which led to the shutting down of the country’s largest broadcasting network in 2020.

The House deputy speaker and SAGIP Party-list Representative is a guest candidate for senator under the ticket of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte-Carpio, both of whom skipped the CNN presidential and vice presidential debates.

CLAIM:

Marcoleta said ABS-CBN violated the legislative franchise when the network failed to air free television programs for its viewers which led Congress to vote against the renewal of its franchise.

“Kung naaalala po ninyo ang ABS-CBN, isang higanteng network, makapangyarihan, may impluwensya.

“Ngunit nung hindi niya sinunod ang prangkisa niya na kailangan magpalabas siya ng programa na walang babayaran ang ating mamamayan, hindi na namin siya binigyan ng prangkisa sapagkat nilabag niya ang batas,” Marcoleta told the crowd.

RATING: LACKS CONTEXT

FACTS:

The legislative franchise of the ABS-CBN Corporation expired on May 4, 2020, which forced the broadcasting giant to go off-air on its television and radio programs.

Initially, it was promised provisional authority to operate by the regulatory National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) while a House Committee held hearings to grant a renewal of its 25-year franchise. The Office of the Solicitor General warned the NTC with graft charges if it issued ABS-CBN a provisional authority to operate.

In July, the House Committee on Legislative Franchises voted 70-11 to deny the network a franchise for its failure to prove it has not violated tax, securities, and labor laws. Failure to air free programs was not an issue in the technical working group report.

Marcoleta was misleading the crowd when he said ABS-CBN failed to broadcast shows for free. ABS-CBN was on a free TV channel. It offered subscriptions to a cable TV channel, Sky Cable. The public is not paying to watch ABS-CBN except on its cable TV channel and on-demand entertainment shows.

Congress could have been pressured by President Rodrigo Duterte’s repeated attacks on ABS-CBN who accused the network of not airing his presidential campaign ads in 2016 even though they had already been paid for, and threatened to block the network’s franchise renewal back in 2018.

ABS-CBN had to let go nearly half of its work force which then employed around 11,000 people but continues to air on its digital platforms.

Billionaire Manny Villar was awarded the frequencies of ABS-CBN last January.

Villar is the father of Mark Villar, a former public works and highways secretary in the Duterte Cabinet. He is also running for senator under the Marcos-Duterte tandem.

WHY IT MATTERS:

As of writing, the video of Bayambang Mayor Cezar Quiambao, which contained Marcoleta’s campaign speech, was shared on the Bongbong Marcos facebook page. It has generated more than 433,000 views, 35,000 reactions, 572 comments, and 1,000 shares.

News 5 is part of #FactsFirstPH which brings together various sectors that are committed to promoting truth in the public space, and exacting accountability on those who harm it with lies. For those interested to join the initiative, e-mail info@factsfirst.ph. Message News 5’s Facebook page if you want to have any claims fact-checked.

Read our fact-checking policy here.

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