Philippine Daily Inquirer Digital Edition

Villar gets former ABS-CBN frequencies

NTC gives Advanced Media ‘test broadcast’ permit

—STORY BY MIGUEL R. CAMUS

Billionaire and former Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. heads one of the country’s most powerful business and political clans. The “brown” taipan, a close ally of President Duterte, will soon gain another title: media tycoon. Villar’s Advanced Media Broadcasting System Inc. has gained control over the radio frequencies previously held by ABSCBN Corp., the media giant Mr. Duterte had vowed to take down.

President Duterte once told Manuel Villar Jr. he would back the campaign supporter, billionaire and former senator if he ran a second time for president.

Villar, the head of a powerful political and business clan, is not seeking any political post in the 2022 presidential elections, but through a government move, he would gain a new title, that of media tycoon.

Villar-linked Advanced Media Broadcasting System Inc., whose 25-year franchise extension was approved in 2019, is taking over the television broadcast frequencies previously held by Lopez-led ABS-CBN Corp., according to documents from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) that were seen by the Inquirer.

The frequencies were recalled from ABS-CBN after Duterte and his allies in Congress allowed the company’s franchise to expire in 2020 in a move that was decried as politically motivated.

The NTC has not replied to repeated requests for comment on Tuesday.

Scarce resource

Based on the NTC documents, Advanced Media was given a “test broadcast” permit to use the coveted Channel 2 spectrum on Jan. 6 and provisional authority to use digital TV frequencies in Metro Mania and Mega Manila on Channel 16.

This effectively gives the Villar group control over the frequencies, a scarce public resource, while blocking future attempts by ABS-CBN to regain the spectrum.

It was unclear how the NTC vetted Advanced Media’s capacity to run a TV network. It also did not hold the traditional public selection process or “beauty contest” before awarding the frequencies.

The last time radio frequencies were awarded was during the rigorous 2018 bidding for the third telco license—which was bagged by Dito Telecommunity, a venture between

Duterte campaign donor and business tycoon Dennis A. Uy and China Telecom.

The NTC said the 18-month provisional authority given to Advanced Media was reviewed by the Department of Justice and Office of the Executive Secretary, which issued a “no objection” on the assignment of the vacated and available frequencies last Dec. 29.

Advanced Media will broadcast the Channel 2 frequency from the Villar Group’s Starmall shopping center along EDSA in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, the documents showed.

Analog TV

Moreover, the NTC said the test broadcast permit would be effective until the final shut off of analog TV, which was earlier set on 2023.

Industry player Felipe Gozon, chair and CEO of GMA Network Inc., previously shared his views that the deadline would be extended anew due to the low adoption of digital TV in the Philippines.

This would also extend Advance Media’s control over the

Channel 2 frequencies.

Democracy.Net.Ph co-founder Pierre Galla said the issuance of a temporary permit could be subject to “misuse”.

“One method of misuse is if a permit is granted whose nature is indefinite and not short in duration. It is an anticompetitive behavior designed to prevent any other entity to use the frequencies covered by the permit,” Galla told the Inquirer.

Villar is the county’s richest individual with a fortune worth $7.2 billion according to Forbes Magazine. He owns property giant Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc., broadband company Streamtech apart from water and infrastructure assets.

In September last year, the House of Representatives approved the sale and transfer of control of Advanced Media to Villar-owned Planet Cable Inc.

In latest financial statement to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Advanced Media reported an 80 percent decline in 2020 revenues to P3.1 million while losses widened to P3.1 million from P1.82 million in 2019. It had total assets of P35.7 million.

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2022-01-26T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-26T08:00:00.0000000Z

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Philippine Daily Inquirer