Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 2990)
Republic Act No. 2990 grants Filipinas Broadcasting Network, Incorporated a franchise to establish radio stations for domestic telecommunications, broadcasting, and telecasting in the Philippines.
The Secretary of Public Works and Communications is responsible for allotting frequencies, wave lengths, and channels, and issuing licenses to the grantee under this Act.
The President has the power to close the grantee's radio stations or authorize their use by any government department without compensation during war, insurrection, public peril, or other national emergencies.
The construction of the station must begin within two years of the Act's approval and be completed within four years; otherwise, the franchise shall be void.
The franchise is granted for a period of fifty years from the date the first station is placed in operation.
The grantee shall keep an account of its gross receipts and submit a copy to the Auditor General and the Treasurer of the Philippines annually by January 31 for the preceding year.
No, the grantee cannot lease, transfer, grant usufruct, sell, or assign the franchise without prior approval from the Congress of the Philippines.
The grantee must pay the same taxes on its real estate, buildings, and personal property as other persons or corporations, and additionally pay one and one-half percent of gross receipts from the business under the franchise annually.
Any more favorable terms granted to competing franchises automatically apply to this grantee's franchise to ensure no disadvantage.
No, the franchise is not exclusive and does not preclude the granting of similar privileges to others.
The grantee must file a bond of fifty thousand pesos to guarantee compliance with franchise conditions, which may be cancelled once conditions are fulfilled.
The grantee cannot take private property without proper condemnation proceedings and just compensation, and only land necessary for franchise purposes may be taken.
The Secretary can change, cancel, or modify frequency allotments upon reasonable notice if necessary to prevent interference, monopoly, or for public interest reasons.
The Secretary of Public Works and Communications must allot frequencies, determine station operations, and issue a license to the grantee.
The national, provincial, and municipal governments of the Philippines are held harmless from claims or demands due to accidents or injuries from station construction or operation.