PHILIPPINE LAWS, STATUTES, CODES & ISSUANCES
PHILIPPINE LAWS, STATUTES AND CODES
REPUBLIC ACTS
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1337 - AN
ACT GRANTING THE EVENING NEWS PUBLISHING CO., INC., A FRANCHISE TO
ESTABLISH RADIO STATIONS FOR BROADCASTING AND TELEVISION |
Section 1.
Subject to the provisions of the Constitution, the Evening News
Publishing Co., Inc., is hereby granted a franchise which shall
continue in force during the time that the Government has not
established similar service at the places selected by the grantee, to
construct, maintain and operate, for commercial purposes and in the
public interest, radio broadcasting stations and stations for
television in the Philippines: Provided, That this franchise shall be
void unless the construction of at least one radio broadcasting station
or one television station be begun within two years from the date of
approval of this Act, and be completed within four years from said
date: Provided, further, That the grantee shall provide adequate public
service time to enable the Government, through the said radio
broadcasting stations and stations for television, to reach the
population on important public issues; shall assist in the functions of
public information and education; shall conform to the ethics of honest
enterprise; and shall not use its stations for the broadcasting and/or
telecasting of obscene or indecent language, speech, act or scene, or
for the dissemination of deliberately false information or willful
misrepresentation, or to the detriment of the public health, or to
incite, encourage, or assist in subversive or treasonable
acts. Sec. 2. Such provisions of Act Numbered Thirty-eight hundred and forty-six, entitled "An Act providing for the regulation of radio stations and radio communications in the Philippine Islands, and for other purposes"; Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and ninety-seven, known as the Radio Broadcasting Law; Commonwealth Act Numbered One hundred and forty-six, known as the Public Service Act, and their amendments, as are applicable to radio broadcasting stations shall be applied, as far as practicable, to the television stations referred to in section one. Sec. 3. The grantee shall file a bond in the amount of fifty thousand pesos to guaranty full compliance and fulfillment of the conditions under which this franchise is granted. Sec. 4. In the event of any completing individual, partnership or corporation receiving from the Congress a similar franchise in which there shall be any term of terms more favorable than those herein granted or tending to place the herein grantee at any disadvantage, then such term or terms shall, ipso facto, become a part of the terms hereof and shall operate equally in favor of the grantee as in the case of said competing individual, partnership or corporation.
Sec. 5. (a) The grantee shall be liable to pay the
same taxes on its real estate, buildings and personal property,
exclusive of the franchise, as other persons or corporations are now or
hereafter may be required by law to pay. Sec. 6. In the event the Government should desire to maintain and operate for itself any or all of the stations herein authorized, the grantee shall turn over such station or stations to the Government with all the serviceable equipment therein, at cost, less reasonable depreciation. Sec. 7. 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; but if any such speech, play, act or scene or other matter should constitute a violation of the law or infringement of a private right, the grantee shall be free from any liability, civil or criminal, for such speech, play, act or scene or other matter: Provided, That the grantee, during any broadcast and/or telecast, may cut off from ther the speech, play, act or scene or other matter being broadcast and/or telecast 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.
Sec. 8. The grantee shall not lease, transfer,
grant the usufruct of, sell or assign this franchise nor the rights and
privileges acquired thereupon to any person, firm, company, corporation
or other commercial or legal entity, nor merge with any other company
or corporation organized for the same purpose, without the previous
approval of the Congress of the Philippines. Any corporation to which
this franchise is sold, transferred or assigned, shall be subject to
all the conditions, terms, restrictions and limitations of this
franchise as fully and completely and to the same extent as if the
franchise has been originally granted to the said person, firm,
company, corporation or other commercial or legal entity. Approved: June 16, 1955 |