THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) announced on Wednesday it has also granted the group of the late ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua as well as the media arm of televangelist Apollo Quiboloy separate provisional authorities to use the frequencies previously held by ABS-CBN Corp.
The announcement came a day after the NTC confirmed that it has granted Channel 16 and its simulcast Channel 2 to Advanced Media Broadcasting System Inc. (AMBS), a company linked to billionaire Manuel Villar Jr.
In separate statements, the commission said it granted on January 5 Aliw Broadcasting Corp. and Swara Sug Media Corp. provisional authorities to operate broadcasting services in Metro Manila and Mega Manila using Channels 23 and 43, respectively.
Aliw is part of the ALC Group of Companies, which also owns and controls the BusinessMirror. According to the NTC, Aliw was the “second applicant for an authority to install, operate, and maintain a digital TV in Metro Manila.”
The group applied for the license on July 30, 2007.
On the other hand, Swara Sug Media is the company behind Sonshine Media Network International, the official broadcasting arm of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ movement led by Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed son of God and close ally of President Duterte.
The NTC said Swara Sug applied for the same license on October 16, 2007, making it the third entity to request for authority to broadcast digital TV.
ABS-CBN used to hold the frequencies for Channels 23 and 43, broadcasting ABS-CBN Sports and Action and TV Plus Channels, respectively. ABS-CBN lost its franchise bid in 2020, when lawmakers refused to grant a franchise extension.
Aliw and Swara Sug were granted the PAs based on “legal, technical, and financial qualifications,” the NTC said, noting it sought the policy guidance from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the legal opinion of the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the concurrence of the Office of the President-Office of the Executive Secretary.
Palace: Pure legal question
Malacañang on Wednesday said it has no hand in the selection of companies which were awarded the frequencies previously used by ABS-CBN Broadcasting Network.
In an interview with CNN Philippines, Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo B. Nograles clarified the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) merely sought the legal opinion of the Office of the President and the Department of Justice (DOJ) in allocating “unused and available frequencies and the power to issue provisional authorities.”
“There was no mention of any names of anyone or any private company or entities. It was a pure legal question asking for a legal opinion,” Nograles stressed.
Nograles noted the NTC decided to approve these permits based on existing laws as well as its existing regulations.
ABS-CBN lost control of channels 2, 23, and 43 in 2020, when the House of Representatives decided not to renew its franchise.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines called for transparency on how the frequencies were distributed to other media companies.
It expressed hope the new assignment of the Channel 2 spectrum will not prevent ABS-CBN from reapplying for its franchise in Congress.
With a report by Samuel P. Medenilla
Image credits: AP/Aaron Favila