Can the People Save ABS-CBN?
Upon hearing the decision of the Congress to deny the application for the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN, other people were quick to highlight a certain remedy as to not close the curtain. Needless to say, they didn’t hire brilliant defenders just to settle for a loss, remedies are always available when it comes to legal battles.
Our constitution speaks of this initiative and can be found in Article VI, Section 32. Thus, Congress enacted this law. They are talking about RA 6735 otherwise known as “The Initiative and Referendum Act” which others call the “People’s Initiative”.
This law was passed in 1989 and its legislative intent is for the people to initiate for the passage of laws. But this is not just a walk in the park scenario. Requisites should be fulfilled and ingredients be added to capture the taste of the present Filipino. With the social media as the forefront of the modern battle, citizens who are living in far-flung barangays have been reached with the latest news and information aside from the ones being fed on television and radio.
This procedure needs effort and money (which they have). First, the draft law must be signed by at least 10 percent of our country’s total voters (that’s roughly 63 million including overseas workers). But, you can’t just get those signatures in your preferred location. It should be composed of at least 3 percent of every legislative district’s voters (we have 243 congressional districts in the entire Philippines). Second, the signatures should be verified by the Commission on Elections to prove its authenticity. After this, we go to the third part which is the referendum. If and only if, it gets the nod of the majority of the country’s voters, it is the time to see (again) your beloved actors and actresses on air. The new law is free from the interference from the congress and even the President of the Republic.
Just let me clear some things out. We are not happy that the employees lost their job because of the denial of the franchise. It is just inappropriate to put the blame on the Congressmen who studied the proposal, weighed in the facts and circumstances. They are also human and of course, they have been thinking of the families who are affected by the closure. But they simply cannot turn a blind eye on heavy points. The interest of the Filipino people is incomparable to the interest of a few.
I hate to burst your bubble but this not your typical teleserye in which your beloved actors and actresses will get the sympathy from the masses. The real actors here are the “extras”, the ordinary Filipino who is a law-abiding citizen that respects the rule of law. This is still a long way to go but if the genuine voice of the people will be heard, then, we are near the pinnacle of Freedom that we always talk about.