PHILIPPINE LAWS, STATUTES, CODES & ISSUANCES
PHILIPPINE LAWS, STATUTES AND CODES - CHAN ROBLES VIRTUAL LAW LIBRARY
REPUBLIC ACTS
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 2374 - AN ACT
GRANTING THE BULLETINE PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC., A FRANCHISE TO
CONSTRUCT, MAINTAIN AND OPERATE RADIO BROADCASTING AND TELEVISION
STATIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES |
Section 1.
Subject to the provisions of the Constitution, the
Bulletine Publishing Company, 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 and television stations 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 and television stations, 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.cralaw
Sec. 2. Such provisions of Act Numbered
Thirty-eight hundred 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
ninety-seven, known as the Radio Broadcasting Law; Commonwealth Act
Numbered One hundred 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. 4. In the event of any competing individual, partnership or corporation receiving from the Congress a similar franchise in which there shall be any term or 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.cralaw
Sec. 5. (a) The grantee shall be liable to pay
the same taxes of its real estate, buildings and personal property,
exclusively of the franchise, as other persons or corporations are now
or hereafter may be required by law to pay.cralaw
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 stations or stations to
the Government with all the serviceable equipment therein, at cost,
less reasonable depreciation. Sec. 8. The grantee shall not require any previous censorship or 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 of 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 them thereof is indecent or immoral.cralaw Sec. 9. The grantee shall not lease, transfer, grant the usufruct of, sell or assign this franchise nor the rights and privileges acquired thereunder 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 person, firm, company, corporation or other commercial or legal entity 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 had been originally granted to the said person, firm, company, corporation or other commercial or legal entity.cralaw
Section 10. This Act shall take effect upon its
approval.cralaw Approved: June 20, 1959 |
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