Photo Release

'Not the franchise applicant's fault': Sen. Joel Villanueva backs Senate Minority Floor Leader Franklin Drilon on the latter's call for immediate plenary debates on Senate Bill No. 1530, which pushes the non-expiration of franchises and licenses whose renewal are pending in Congress or in relevant government agencies. During the Committee on Public Services' virtual hearing on several franchise bills Thursday, December 9, 2021, Villanueva said he agrees with Drilon that companies that have fully complied with government regulation and requirements should not suffer over the inaction of the government on their applications for franchise renewal. "It's not their fault. We can do it, we can help them out," he said. The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) told senators that since its stop-broadcast order against broadcast firm ABS-CBN in 2020, it has been issuing cease and desist orders to companies whose legislative franchises have expired. (Screengrab/Senate PRIB)