THE government-owned IBC-13 will only last for six months next year if Congress will not allocate any funding for its operations under the P5.268 trillion proposed national budget for 2023.
Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, senior vice chair of the House committee on appropriations who defended the Office of the Press Secretary’s proposed P1.2 billion budget for 2023, revealed this during the plenary deliberations on the general appropriations bill (GAB).
“Ayon sa finance officer po ay six months na lang po ang magiging buhay ng IBC kung hindi po sila makatanggap ng any form of subsidy from the government. So in other words, six months na lang po ang magiging trabaho nitong 178 individuals kung hindi po makakatanggap ng budget ang IBC-13 (According to the finance officer, IBC will only last for six months if they do not receive any form of subsidy from the government. So, in other words, its 178 employees will only have work for six months if IBC-13 will not receive a budget),” she told the floor on the interpellation of Rep. Felimon Espares (PL, COOP NATCCO).
The television network received P73.68 million for this year but no budget was approved by the Executive Department as the government pushes for the station’s privatization, Quimbo said, noting that out of the 178 employees, 149 are regular, 24 are non-permanent, and five are under contract of service.
While the OPS does not want a zero budget for IBC-13, Quimbo said it has no choice since the Department of Budget and Management’s (DBM) stand is that the network is up for privatization.
She, however, said the problem is no one seems to be interested in buying the TV station for at least P2 billion, the minimum amount the government has to receive under the law.
“So ibig sabihin, kapag i-privatize ang IBC-13, kapag ibinenta ito sa pribadong sektor, ang minimum na dapat matanggap ng gobyerno is P2 billion. ‘Yan po ang interpretation ng batas. Kaya nga lang po ang problema is up to today, wala pong willing na buyer, wala pong offer na umabot sa P2 billion (So that means that when IBC-13 is privatized, if it is sold to the private sector, the government should get a minimum of P2 billion. That is the interpretation of the law. The problem, however, is up to today, there is no willing buyer, there is no offer reaching P2 billion),” she said.
Espares proposed that Congress set aside at least six months’ worth of funds for the TV station and its employees.
“Ano’ng gagawin do’n, magutom na lang ba sila? Bakit hindi talaga binigyan kahit pang-contingency man lang just for six months whatsoever para hindi naman malagay sa alanganin ‘yong ating mga empleyado, kasi ito ‘yong unang matatamaan (What will happen there? Just allow them to go hungry? Why don’t we give them funds, even just for contingency, just for six months, so that the employees’ welfare would not be compromised),” he said.
