House bill on Kapamilya franchise a welcome development

Thank you, Our Lady of Fatima! On May 13, her feast day, ABS-CBN got its Provisional License from Congress with House Bill 6732, authored by Congressmen Alan Peter Cayetano, Boyet Gonzalez, Raneo Abu, Robbie Puno, Dan Fernandez, LRay Villafuerte, Martin Romualdez and Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado.

The bill allows the network to operate until Oct. 31, 2020. An optimistic and expeditious timeline starts today, May 18, where congress is expected to have its third and final reading, after which the bill will be transmitted to the Senate tomorrow, May 19. On May 20, the Senate will have its first hearing, its second reading on May 25, and its third and final reading on June 1.

Hopefully, both houses will ratify the bill by June 3 and then submit it to Pres. Rodrigo Duterte for his signature. The president then has three options: One, sign it into law; two, veto it; and three, not sign it and wait 30 days until it automatically becomes a law. Barring any delays or objections, ABS-CBN will be back on air by the first week of June. In the interim, the House of Representatives and the Senate will start deliberating on the franchise renewal good for 25 years.

This is a very welcome development since ABS-CBN went off the air on May 5. Social media was flooded with messages of sympathy, support and love for the network. On the other hand, many netizens also gloated and criticized the network, rejoicing at ABS-CBN’s plight. The network became a divisive issue that added more stress and anxiety during this pandemic, especially to loyal viewers and listeners of ABS-CBN and DZMM who only have free TV and radio to rely on for their news and entertainment. At least TV Patrol and Teleradyo are still available online and on SkyCable Channel 26 and TV Plus Channel 5.

There is also a chance that ABS-CBN can go back on air sooner if the Supreme Court issues a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on the Cease and Desist Order (CDO) earlier filed by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) against the network. Several legal luminaries have expressed that what NTC did was a clear violation of due process. It blatantly disregarded the power of Congress, which has the sole authority to revoke and issue franchises. Hopefully, the Supreme Court will come out with a favorable decision.

The clamor for ABS-CBN to return has been overwhelming. As I write this (on May 15), signal No. 3 has been raised over Samar and Sorsogon because of Typhoon Ambo, which has brought heavy rains and strong winds. There are some remote areas in these regions that rely solely on the radio for news. Sadly, because ABS-CBN is off the air there, those who reside in these remote areas will not be getting the accurate weather updates and pandemic situationers. They count on us to deliver. The loyal viewers of our teleseryes are also undoubtedly restless at this time, the hours seeming longer because entertainment options are limited or absent.

At this point, however, all we can do is wait for our lawmakers to conduct fair and impartial hearings, and pray fervently and relentlessly that our lawmakers are blessed with discernment, propriety and compassion for the majority.

OKS gives Kapamilya a new viewing experience

Beginning May 20, Kapamilya will be able to enjoy a new digital channel called OKS (Online Kapamilya Shows), a straight-to-digital website housed in abscbn.com. Because the globe is going digital, the Kapamilya network is pioneering our country’s efforts to produce original online content. When the COVID-19 pandemic halted the production of taped shows, an opportunity arose to focus the network’s efforts on the creation of short-form web content. Thirty shows were approved for the May 20 launch, all of which are edgy, experimental, interactive and highly entertaining. Of course, the shows will all bear the “tatak Kapamilya” seal since they are topbilled by ABS-CBN artists. According to Digital Content head Richard Reynante, OKS will be a new viewing experience.