REPUBLIC ACT NO. 2298 - AN ACT
GRANTING MARIO P. CHANCO A FRANCHISE TO CONSTRUCT, MAINTAIN AND OPERATE
RADIO BROADCASTING STATIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES |
Section 1. Subject to the provisions of the Constitution, Mario
P. Chanco 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 in the Philippines: Provided, That this franchise
shall be void unless the construction of at least one radio
broadcasting 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, to reach the population on important public
issues; shall assist in the function of public information and
education; shall conform to the ethics of honest enterprise; and shall
not use its stations for the broadcasting of obscene or indecent
language or speech, 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 provision 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 Island, 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 radio broadcasting stations referred to in section one.cralaw 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.cralaw Sec. 4. The grantee, its successors or assigns, shall hold the National, provincial, city and municipal government of the Republic of the Philippines harmless from all claims, accounts, demands or actions arising out of accidents or injuries, whether to property or persons, caused by the construction or operation of its radio stations.cralaw Sec. 5. 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 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. 7. 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.cralaw Sec. 8. A special right is herein reserved of the President of the Philippines in time of war, rebellion, public peril, emergency, calamity, disaster or disturbance of peace or order to cause the closing of said stations or to authorize the temporary use and operation thereof by any department of the Government without compensating the grantee for the use of said station during the period when they shall be so operated.cralaw Sec. 9. The grantee shall not require any
previous censorship of any speech, play or other matter to be broadcast
or shown form its stations; but if any such speech, play 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 or other matter: Provided, That the
grantee, during any broadcast, may cut off from ther the speech, play
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 them thereof is indecent or immoral. Section 11. 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 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 of the franchise has been originally granted to the said person, firm, company, corporation or other commercial or legal entity.cralaw Section 12. This Act shall take effect upon its
approval.cralaw |