The grant of a provisional franchise to ABS-CBN which will be effective up to October 31, 2020 raises a number of problematic questions, like the following:
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Pending the enactment into law of House Bill No. 6732 which needs the concurrence of the Senate and approval of the President unless he allows it to lapse into law, what will be the status of the shuttered operations of ABS-CBN?
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Pending the effectivity of the provisional authority upon its publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation, what is the effect of the bill on the cease-and-desist order issued by National Telecommunications (NTC) which led to the closure of ABS-CBN?
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From today, how long a time will House Bill No. 6732 become an effective statute?
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While H.B. No. 6732 is pending enactment and effectivity, will the House leadership commence the deliberations on the 12 pending bills for the renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise?
Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and his co-authors must answer these overriding questions.
EDCEL C. LAGMAN