Claim:
Philippine media network ABS-CBN is going back on air after it was shut down on May 5.
This claim came from an old YouTube video uploaded by channel Metro Showbiz on May 13. Several Facebook users were sharing the video again in August on various Facebook groups.
Facebook’s monitoring tool, Claim Check, flagged Metro Showbiz’s video on August 28 for fact checkers to verify. Claim Check data showed that the video had been shared on Facebook over 131,000 times over the last 4 months. The YouTube video also had 246,397 views as of writing.
Rating: FALSE
The facts:
As of Wednesday, September 2, Congress has not approved any measure that would allow ABS-CBN to broadcast on television again. Metro Showbiz’s video wrongly claimed that a provisional franchise was granted to ABS-CBN in May.
The false video was titled, “INAPPROBAHAN NA ANG ABS CBN, AT BABALIK NA SA PAG ERE!” (ABS-CBN already got approval, will go back on the air!)
On May 13, when Metro Showbiz’s video was posted, lawmakers filed House Bill (HB) No. 6732 that sought to grant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise that would be valid until October 31, 2020. But even then there was no confirmation that the network would be able to go back on air since the bill was approved only on 2nd reading.
Congress eventually dropped the bill on May 19, as lawmakers argued that hearings on ABS-CBN’s franchise application would resume soon. The House committee on legislative franchises then rejected ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal application on July 10.
ABS-CBN has been off air since May 5, after the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) issued a cease and desist order. The Supreme Court also recently junked the network’s petition to void the NTC’s shutdown order on August 25.
Thousands of employees have been laid off since May. On August 28, ABS-CBN stopped all its regional newscasts of TV Patrol programs, which had been airing via Facebook and YouTube after the shutdown order.
A people’s initiative was also launched to bring ABS-CBN back on air, but it is still in the process of gathering the needed 7 million signatures. (READ: What you need to know about people’s initiative) – Pauline Macaraeg/Rappler.com
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