Mga ‘hugas-kamay’ sa Kongreso binuweltahan

PINALAGAN ni Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor ang pagkampi ng ilang kasamahan nila sa Kamara sa paninisi ni Solicitor General Jose Calida kaya nag-sign off ang ABS-CBN.

“Frankly, I am baffled by this sentiment,” ani Defensor.

Kabilang sa mga mambabatas na nanisi sa liderato ni House Speaker Alan Cayetano si Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza na nagsabing “Kasalanan namin ito. This is the failure of Congress to do its job. But I will say it squarely now: kasalanan ni Speaker Cayetano po ito”.

“In the first place, and I say this as the representative of the Anakalusugan party-list whose main advocacy is the health and welfare of the Filipino people, Congress should be tackling more important issues, instead of a private bill that has been languishing in these chambers for the past two administrations,” ani Defensor.

Ayon sa mambabatas, bago nag-recess ang Kongreso noong Marso ay nagsagawa ng pagdinig ang House franchise committee at nangako si National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba na papayagan ang ABS-CBN na ipagpatuloy ng mga ito ang kanilang operasyon habang nakabinbin ang panukala para sa renewal ng prangkisa ng nasabing TV network.

Dalawang araw aniya bago magbukas ang Kongreso noong Mayo 4, ay binantaan ni Calida ang NTC na mahaharap sa aksyong legal kapag tinupad ng mga ito ang kanilang pangako sa Kongreso subalit dahil nangako ang komisyon ay tiwala aniya si House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano na hindi magsasara ang ABS-CBN.

“Yesterday Congress was ambushed. And if we may believe the statements of Sec. Harry Roque, this also caught Malacañang by surprise. The unconstitutional meddling of the SolGen – to the extent that he pressured the NTC to go against the DOJ, the Senate, and their own word given under oath – is a disgrace and an affront to the entire Congress. Yet there are still those among us who choose to side with them against the rest of the membership,” ani Defensor.

Maliban dito, hindi lamang aniya sa panahon ni Cayetano hindi naaksyunan ang prangkisa ng ABS-CBN kundi mula noong panahon nina House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., at dating Pangulong Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

“I think it is only fair, that we ask our colleagues who were here then and who are the most vocal now – what did you do then? If you truly believe that this is an issue of press freedom, then why didn’t you speak up the way that you are doing now?,” tanong ni Defensor.

Lahat aniya ng mga mambabatas na ‘nagwawala’ sa pagsa-sign off ng ABS-CBN ngayon ay mga miyembro ng Kamara noong unang inihain ang panukala noong 2014 o 16th Congress.

“Unfair naman sa aming 160 members na bago pa lang sa Kongreso at walang kinalaman sa mahigit 6 na taon na naka-pending ang application ng ABS-CBN,” ani Defensor. BERNARD TAGUINOD