OPPONENTS of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. at the House of Representatives continued to pounce on the media network, this time seeking an investigation into the alleged violations Amcara Broadcasting Network which is accused of being a “dummy” of the television giant.
Deputy majority leader Jesus Crispin Remulla of Cavite has filed House Resolution No. 1015, directing the House committee on legislative franchises to investigate Amcara’s alleged violations in connection with its block time agreement with ABS-CBN.
Remulla said Amcara violated its franchise when it “effectively granted usufruct of its legislative franchise, guised as being validly bought through a block time agreement to ABS-CBN.”
During the committee hearings on the bills seeking to renew ABS-CBN’s franchise which the panel later voted down, Remulla accused Amcara of being an ABS-CBN dummy since the television giant was still able to broadcast its programs through Amcara Channel 43 despite the National Telecommunications Commission’s issuance of a cease and desist order against it.
ABS-CBN, however, denied the accusation, saying it was using Channel 43 as part of its block time arrangement with Amcara, of which 49 percent used to be owned by ABS-CBN.
The agreement, it said, allowed ABS-CBN to air several channels through ABS-CBN TVPlus such as TeleRadyo, Jeepney TV, Yey!, Asianovela Channel, CineMo, and KBO.
The NTC later issued another CDO and stopped the programs from airing on TVPlus through Channel 43, on the prodding of lawmakers who accused ABS-CBN of circumventing the terms of its franchise through a block time agreement.
Amcara’s franchise is set to expire in November.
Amcara chairman Rodrigo Carandang admitted in one of the House hearings that the transmitters his company was using to air digital TV channels were bought by ABS-CBN.
Deputy speaker and SAGIP Rep. Rodante Marcoleta filed House Resolution 1058 to inquire on the authenticity of the land title of ABS-CBN’s property on Mother Ignacia Ave., in Quezon City.
“Whereas, the Republic, through the Solicitor General has the locus standi to file an action for nullification of title, if upon a final finding of the Land Registration Authority’s Task Force Titulong Malinis, the title of ABS-CBN is indeed of dubious origin,” said Marcoleta in his resolution.
Another resolution, House Resolution 1040 was filed to look into the Development Bank of the Philippines’ (DBP) alleged grant of loan condonation to companies controlled by or affiliated with the TV giant’s owners, the Lopez family.
The resolution was authored by Remulla, Marcoleta, presidential son and Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, DUMPER PTDA party-list Rep. Claudine Diana Bautista, ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Eric Yap, AnaKalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor, and Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr.
During the franchise hearings, the authors learned that Benpres Holdings Corp., now called Lopez Holdings Corp., along with other companies that are controlled by or affiliated with the Lopez family, benefited from a huge write-off from the DBP.
