House leaders urging ABS-CBN employees to petition Duterte, NTC for network takeover: Magkaisa na kayo, kayo na magpatakbo!

House leaders are urging the 11,000 workers of ABS-CBN Corp. to take the initiative and take over the operations of the shuttered broadcasting network away from the Lopezes.

Anakalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor said ABS-CBN employees can easily take over and run ABS-CBN because “they know the ins and outs of the facilities, everything is push button.”

Defensor said ABS-CBN could go the way of European broadcast firms that were taken over by workers unions or cooperatives.

“Kung magkakisa ang union at mga supervisor, i-petisyon nila ang Presidente at NTC (National Telecommunications Commission) at payagan sila, bukas gawin na nila ang pagpapatakbo ng ABS-CBN,” said Defensor.

Deputy Speaker Dan Fernandez revealed that he was in touch with several groups of technical employees, producers and artists from ABS-CBN who wanted to create their own group on a possible workers’ takeover of ABS-CBN.

“Kung susuportahan ng Kongreso, i think they are willing to have this kind of set up na kailangan lang taaga, merong mag-initiate. thik this is the right, producers, actors, blocktimers like Dreamscape, they are just waiting kung ano ang magiging agos natin. Naninimbang din sila, buhay nila ang nakasalalay. Hindi naman sila pwede umasa sa ABS-CBN na alam nilang wala na talagang mangyayari. I-push natin ‘yan para makatulong naman tayo sa mga empleyado ng ABS-CBN.” said Fernandez, apparently conscious of Congress getting the blame for the thousands of ABS-CBN workers to be laid off following the rejection of the network’s franchise bid.

Defensor said Congress would back any workers’ initiative to take over ABS-CBN. “I can speak on behalf my peers and whatever will be the initiative of the workers, magkaisa na kayo, kayo na magpatakbo sa inyo yan at kung ano man ang kita ay mapupunta rin sa inyo. Tutulong kami (Congress) sa inyo,” said Defensor.

But while the government owned the frequencies lost by ABS-CBN after its franchise expired, the Lopezes owned the equipment, facilities, building and land needed to run the network.

Defensor suggested that employees strike a lease-to-own arrangement with the Lopezes.

But Sagip party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta has a much better plan – eject the Lopezes from the Mother Ignacia property which he claimed was state property.

“Yung pagkuha natin ng titulo ang unahin natin. I-eject na lang natin sila (Lopezes), peke naman ang titulo nila. wala silang mabubuhat doon (from the property). Ang lupa sa gobyerno at pag tinakeover ‘yun, madali silang makakapagprogram doon,” said Marcoleta.

Cavite Rep. Boying Remulla urged his colleagues to meet net week to “follow through” on the House’s action plan following the committee’s rejection of ABS-CBN’s franchise application “so we can do justice do to our jobs.”

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)