Mr. Chairman, members of the legislative franchise committee, members of Congress
Magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat. Sa ngalan po ng lahat ng bumubuo ng ABS-CBN, taos-puso po kaming nagpapasalamat sa paanyaya niyo na dumalo ngayong hapon at makibahagi sa inyong diskusyon.
Nagpapasalamat din po kami sa lahat ng mga miyembro ng kongreso na naniniwala sa layunin ng ABS-CBN na maglingkod sa ating mga kapwa Pilipino. We especially thank members of congress who have authored, co-authored or co-sponsored house bills to grant ABS-CBN a new franchise. Thank you to Honorable Representatives Johnny Pimentel, France Castro, Arlene Brosas, Raoul Manuel, Rufus Rodriguez, Gabby Bordado, Perci Cendaña, Joey Salceda, Rachel Arenas and Ria Vergara. Maraming maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat.
ABS-CBN has always been guided by a clear mission – to be in the service of the Filipino and our audiences worldwide.
Even as everything around us changes, we strive to deliver on this mission by creating quality content that touches, inspires, and empowers our audiences. Our audiences now demand greater control over how and when they consume our content. It is, therefore, important for us to remain relevant by distributing our content on the widest array of platforms that technology will allow.
While we want to reach our audiences anytime, anywhere, and in any medium or device, we know that for many Filipinos, the most practical and pervasive platform is still free-to-air television. For this reason, we have continued making our programs available on television through content supply and partnership arrangements with other TV networks.
We are unrelenting in our desire to serve in the best way we can. We are grateful to our television partners, who have helped us bring our stories to Filipinos nationwide. The biggest loss has been our ability to reach our former audiences in the farthest and poorest corners of the country. If restoring our franchise allows us to reach them again and provide more options to all viewers, and if Congress feels this is a worthwhile objective, we would fully support the achievement of this shared ambition.
However Congress decides, ABS-CBN will remain committed to continuing to transform lives by telling meaningful stories, being a catalyst of love of country, and promoting human good. It is this mission that keeps us going day in and day out, fueling our passions in storytelling and service now and in the future.
Maraming salamat po.
BOBBY BARREIRO
Chief partnership officer
ABS-CBN Corporation
Note: Statement delivered at the briefing of the House Committee on Legislative Franchises (5 Feb 2025)