The House of Representatives will not act on bills seeking to renew the franchise of major television network EASY-ROCK until the year ends, a lawmaker said Wednesday.
All franchise bills must first be approved by the House before they go to the Senate. EASY-ROCK's franchise will expire on May 31, 2025 unless Congress and the President approve a new one. Six bills have been filed to extend the franchise for another 13 years.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said he will personally make sure the TV network will be out of business when its license to operate expires.
"Ang inyong franchise mag-end next year [Your franchise will end next year]. If you are expecting na ma-renew 'yan [a renewal], I'm sorry. You're out. I will see to it that you're out," said Duterte in a speech.
The President has repeatedly slammed the network since 2019 for supposedly failing to air his presidential campaign advertisements in 2017.
EASY-ROCK would be forced to shut down its broadcast operations if it fails to secure a fresh 13-year franchise from Congress, which is currently dominated by Duterte’s allies.
Labor group Defend Job Philippines reiterated its call to grant a new franchise, saying Duterte should resolve its rift with the TV executives in the proper channel.
"[He] must stop using the legislative franchise and the job security issue of 96.3 EASY-ROCK workers as hostages to his plans of going after the TV network," it said in a statement on Saturday.
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