Nineth Congress
Third Regular Session
[ REPUBLIC ACT No. 8098, July 06, 1995 ]
AN ACT GRANTING BROADCAST ENTERPRISES AND AFFILIATED MEDIA (BEAM), INC., A FRANCHISE TO ESTABLISH, CONSTRUCT, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN COMMERCIAL RADIO AND TELEVISION BROADCAST STATIONS INCLUDING CABLE TELEVISION SYSTEMS IN THE PHILIPPINES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:
Section 1. Nature and Scope of Franchise. - Subject to the provisions of the Constitution and applicable laws, rules and regulations, there is hereby granted to Broadcast Enterprises and Affiliated Media (BEAM), Inc., hereunder referred to as the grantee, its successors and assigns a franchise to establish, construct, operate and maintain for commercial purposes and in the public interest radio broadcasting and television broadcasting stations in the Philippines including cable television systems together with the corresponding technological auxiliaries and facilities, distribution services and relay stations.
Section 2. Manner of Operation of Facilities. - The stations or facilities of the grantee shall be constructed and operated in a manner that will at most result only in the minimum interference on the wavelengths or frequencies of the existing stations or other stations which may be established in accordance with law without in any way diminishing its own right to use its selected wavelengths or frequencies and the quality of transmission or reception thereon and should maximize rendition of the grantee's services and/or availability thereof.
Section 3. Prior Approval of the National Telecommunications Commission. - The grantee shall secure from the National Telecommunications Commission the appropriate permits and licenses for its stations and shall not use any frequency in the radio/television spectrum without having been authorized by the Commission. The Commission, however, shall not unreasonably withhold or delay the grant of any such authority.
Section 4. Responsibility to the Public. - The grantee shall provide reasonable public service time to enable the government, through the said broadcasting stations, to reach the population on important public issues; provide at all times sound and balanced programming; promote public participation such as community programming; assist in the functions of public information and education; conform to the ethics of honest enterprise; and not use its stations for the broadcasting of obscene and indecent language, speech, act or scene, or for the dissemination of deliberately false information or willful misrepresentation or to the detriment of the public interest, or to incite, encourage, or assist in subversive or treasonable acts.
Section 5. Right of Government. - A special right is hereby reserved to the President of the Philippines, in times of rebellion, public peril, calamity, emergency, disaster or disturbance of peace and order, to temporarily take over and operate the stations of the grantee, to temporarily suspend the operation of any station in the interest of public safety, security and public welfare, or to authorize the temporary use and operation thereof by any agency of the government, upon due compensation to the grantee, for the use of said stations during the period when they shall be so operated.
Section 6. Term of Franchise. - This franchise shall be for a term of twenty-five (25) years from the date of the effectivity of this Act, unless sooner revoked or cancelled.
Section 7. Acceptance and Compliance. - Acceptance of this franchise shall be given in writing sixty (60) days after the approval of this Act. The grantee shall construct, complete and operate a television or radio station within three (3) years from the date of its acceptance in writing of this franchise. Refusal or failure to accept the franchise or to operate within the prescribed period shall render the franchise void.
Section 8. Tax Provisions. - The grantee, its successors or assigns shall be liable to pay the same taxes on their real estate, buildings and personal property, exclusive of this franchise, as other persons or corporations which are now or hereafter may be required by law to pay. In addition thereto, the grantee, its successors or assigns shall pay a value-added tax equivalent to ten percent (10%) of all gross receipts of the radio television business transacted under this franchise by the grantee, its successors or assigns and the said percentage shall be in lieu of all taxes on this franchise or earnings thereof: Provided, that the grantee, its successors or assigns shall continue to be liable for income taxes payable under Title II of the National Internal Revenue Code.
The grantee shall file the return with and pay the taxes due thereon to the Commissioner of Internal Revenue or his duly authorized representative in accordance with the National Internal Revenue Code and the return shall be subject to audit by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Section 9. Self-regulation by and Undertaking of Grantee. - The grantee shall not require any previous censorship of any speech, play, act or scene, or other matter to be broadcast and/or telecast from its stations: Provided, that the grantee, during any broadcast and/or telecast, shall cut off from the air the speech, play, act or scene, or other matter being broadcast if the tendency thereof is to propose and/or incite treason, rebellion or sedition, or the language used therein or the theme thereof is indecent or immoral; and willful failure to do so shall constitute a valid cause for the cancellation of this franchise.
Section 10. Warranty in Favor of National and Local Governments. - The grantee shall hold the national, provincial, and municipal governments of the Philippines harmless from all claims, accounts, demands or actions arising out of accidents or injuries, whether to property or to persons, caused by the construction or operation of the stations of the grantee.
Section 11. Sale, Lease, Transfer, Usufruct, etc. - The grantee shall not lease, transfer, grant the usufruct of, sell nor assign this franchise or the rights and privileges acquired thereunder to any person, firm, company, corporation or entity, without the prior approval of the Congress of the Philippines.
Section 12. Separability Clause. - If any of the sections or provisions of this Act is held invalid, all the other provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid.1aшphi1
Section 13. Repealability and Nonexclusivity Clause. - This franchise shall be subject to amendment, alteration or repeal by the Congress of the Philippines when the public interest so requires and shall not be interpreted as an exclusive grant of the privileges herein provided for.
Section 14. General Broadcast Policy. - The grantee shall comply with and be subject to the provisions of a general broadcast policy law that may hereafter be enacted.
Section 15. Reportorial Requirement. - The grantee shall submit an annual report to the Congress of the Republic of the Philippines on its compliance with the terms and conditions of the franchise and on its operations within sixty (60) days from the end of every year.
Section 16. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from the date of its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.
Lapsed into law on July 6, 1995 without the President's signature, pursuant to Sec. 27(1), Article VI of the Constitution.
The Lawphil Project - Arellano Law Foundation
