Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
First Regular Session 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
House Bill No. _________________ 
Introduced by Rep. Maria Carmen S. Zamora 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This bill seeks to grant Y2H Broadcasting Network, Inc. a legislative franchise to 
construct, install, establish, operate and maintain a frequency modulation (FM) radio 
station in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental with national coverage. 
Section 24, Article II of the 1987 Constitution recognizes the State’s vital role in 
communication and information in nation-building, while Section 7, Article III declares 
the recognition of the right of the people to information on matters of public concern. 
Radio stations play an indispensable role in ensuring the right to information on 
matters of public concern, freedom of expression and of the press, as mandated by our 
Basic Law. Pursuant to this, the Proponent seeks to operate a 10 KW FM radio broadcast 
station to provide real-time information on important events, dispense entertainment, and 
serve as a connection to potential listeners in addressing community problems and 
concerns. The same can provide signal coverage to the whole of the country.  
The passage of this timely measure is most respectfully sought. 
MARIA CARMEN S. ZAMORA 
May 8, 2023
1:15 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
First Regular Session 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
House Bill No. _________________ 
Introduced by Rep. Maria Carmen S. Zamora 
AN ACT 
GRANTING Y2H BROADCASTING NETWORK, INC. A FRANCHISE TO 
CONSTRUCT, INSTALL, ESTABLISH, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN A 
FREQUENCY MODULATION (FM) RADIO BROADCASTING STATION IN 
DUMAGUETE CITY, NEGROS ORIENTAL WITH SIGNAL COVERAGE TO 
THE WHOLE COUNTRY 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:  
SECTION 1.  Nature and Scope of Franchise.  – Subject to the provisions of the 
1987 Philippine Constitution and applicable laws, rules and regulations, there is hereby 
granted to Y2H Broadcasting Network, Inc., hereinafter referred to as the Grantee, its 
successors or assignees, a franchise to construct, install, establish, operate  and maintain 
for commercial and non-commercial purposes and in the public interest, a frequency 
modulation (FM) radio broadcasting station in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental with 
signal coverage to the whole country, where frequencies or channels are still available for 
radio broadcasting, utilizing the latest technological advances or innovations, with 
corresponding technological auxiliaries or facilities, special broadcast and other 
programs, and distribution services and relay stations.  The franchise includes the 
operation of a multi-hazard early warning system to provide accurate and timely advice 
to national or local emergency response organization and the general public. 
SEC. 2.  Manner of Operation of Stations or Facilities.  – The Grantee shall 
construct and operate the stations or facilities with minimum interference on the 
wavelengths or frequencies of existing stations or other stations, which may be 
established by law, without in any way diminishing the privilege to use the assigned 
wavelengths or frequencies and the quality of transmission or reception to maximize the 
availability and rendition of the Grantee’s services. 
SEC. 3.  Prior Approval of the National Telecommunications Commission. – The 
Grantee shall secure from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) the 
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appropriate permits and licenses for the construction and operation of its stations and 
facilities and shall not use any frequency in the radio spectrum without authorization 
from the NTC. The NTC, however, shall not unreasonably withhold or delay the grant of 
any such authority.  
 
In case of any violation of the provisions of this franchise, the NTC shall have the 
authority to revoke or suspend, after due process, the permits or licenses it issued 
pursuant to the franchise. The NTC may recommend to Congress of the Philippines the 
revocation of the franchise for any violation of the provisions of this franchise. 
 
SEC. 4.  Responsibility to the Public. – The Grantee shall: 
  
a. Provide, free of charge, adequate public service time, which is reasonable and 
sufficient, to enable the government, through the broadcasting stations or 
facilities, to reach the pertinent populations or portions thereof, on important 
public issues and relay important public announcements and warnings 
concerning public emergencies and calamities, as necessity, urgency or law 
may require;  
b. Provide at all times, sound and balanced programming;  
c. Promote public participation;  
d. Assist in the functions of public information and education;  
e. Conform to the ethics of honest enterprise;  
f. Promote audience sensibility and empowerment through closed captioning; 
and  
g. Avoid the broadcasting of obscene or indecent language, speech, act or scene, 
or deliberately disseminate false information or willful misinterpretation, to 
the detriment of the public interest, or to incite, encourage or assist in 
subversive or treasonable acts. 
 
For purposes of this section, public service time is equivalent to a maximum 
aggregate of ten percent (10%) of the paid commercials or advertisements, which shall be 
allocated based on need of the executive, legislative, judiciary, constitutional 
commissions and international humanitarian organizations duly recognized by statutes: 
Provided, That the NTC shall increase the public service time in case of extreme 
emergency or calamity. The NTC shall issue rules and regulations for this purpose, the 
effectivity of which shall commence upon applicability with other similarly situated 
broadcast network franchise holders. 
 
SEC. 5.  Right of Government. – The radio spectrum is a finite resource that is 
part of the national patrimony and the use thereof is a privilege conferred upon the 
Grantee by the State and may be withdrawn any time after due process.  
 
A special right is hereby reserved to the President of the Philippines, in times of 
war, rebellion, public peril, calamity, emergency, disaster, or disturbance of peace and 
order: to temporarily take over and operate the stations or facilities of the Grantee; to 
temporarily suspend the operation of any station or facility in the interest of public safety, 


security and public welfare; or to authorize the temporary use and operation thereof by 
any agency of the government, upon due compensation to the Grantee, for the use of said 
stations or facilities during the period when these shall be so operated. 
 
SEC. 6.  Term of Franchise. – This franchise shall be in effect for a period of 
twenty-five (25) years from the effectivity of this Act, unless sooner revoked or 
cancelled. This franchise is deemed ipso facto revoked in the event the Grantee fails to 
comply with any of the following conditions: 
 
a. Commence operations within one (1) year from the approval of its operating 
permit by the NTC; 
b. Commence operations within three (3) years from the effectivity of this Act; 
and 
c. Operate continuously for two (2) years. 
 
SEC. 7. Renewal or Extension of Franchise. – The Grantee shall apply for the 
renewal or extension of its franchise three (3) years before its expiration which shall be 
reckoned from fifteen (15) days after publication of the franchise in the Official Gazette 
or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
SEC. 8.  Acceptance. – Acceptance of the terms of this franchise shall be given in 
writing to the Congress of the Philippines, through the Committee on Legislative 
Franchises of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Public Services of the 
Philippine Senate, within sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this Act. Upon giving 
such acceptance, the Grantee shall exercise the privileges granted under this Act. 
Nonacceptance shall render the franchise void. 
 
SEC. 9. Bond. – The Grantee shall file a bond with the NTC, in the amount that 
the NTC shall determine, to guarantee compliance with and fulfillment of the conditions 
under which this franchise is granted. If after three (3) years from the date of the approval 
of its permit by the NTC, the Grantee shall have fulfilled the same, the bond shall be 
released by the NTC. Otherwise, the bond shall be forfeited in favor of the government 
and the franchise ipso facto revoked. 
 
SEC. 10.  Payment of Taxes and Other Fees. – The Grantee, its successors or 
assignees, shall continue to be subject to all applicable taxes, duties, fees, or charges and 
other impositions under the National Internal Revenue Code, as amended, Republic Act 
No. 7160, otherwise known as the “Local Government Code of 1991,” as amended, and 
other applicable laws. 
 
SEC. 11.  Self-regulation by and Undertaking of the Grantee. – The Grantee shall 
not require any previous censorship of any speech, play, act or scene, or other matter to 
be broadcast from its stations but if any such speech, play, act or scene, or other matter 
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, shall cut off the airing of the 


speech, play, act or scene, or other matter that tends to propose or incite treason, rebellion 
or sedition; or the language used therein or the theme thereof is indecent or immoral:  
Provided, further, That willful failure to cut off the airing shall constitute a valid cause 
for the revocation and cancellation of this franchise. 
 
SEC. 12.  Warranty in Favor of the National and Local Governments. – The 
Grantee shall hold the national, provincial, city and municipal governments of the 
Philippines free from all claims, liabilities, demands, or actions arising out of accidents 
causing injury to persons or damage to properties, during the construction or operation of 
the stations of the Grantee. 
 
SEC. 13. Creation of Employment Opportunities. – The Grantee shall create 
employment opportunities and accept on the job trainees in the franchise operations: 
Provided, That priority shall be accorded to the residents of the place where the principal 
office of the Grantee is located: Provided, further, That the Grantee shall ensure that at 
least sixty percent (60%) of its employees are regular employees and in no case shall the 
percentage of contractual employees and independent contractors combined exceed forty 
percent (40%) of its total workforce:  Provided, finally, That the Grantee shall follow the 
applicable labor standards and allowance entitlement under existing labor laws, rules, 
regulations and similar issuances: Provided, finally, That the Grantee shall follow 
applicable civil service rules and regulations and other similar issuances. 
 
SEC. 14.  Sale, Lease, Transfer, Usufruct, or Assignment of Franchise. – The 
Grantee shall not sell, lease, transfer, grant the usufruct of, nor assign this franchise or the 
rights and privileges acquired thereunder to any person, firm, company, corporation or 
other commercial or legal entity, nor merge with any other corporation or entity, nor the 
controlling interest of the grantee be transferred, whether as a whole or in part, and 
whether simultaneously or contemporaneously, to any such person, firm, company, 
corporation, or entity without the prior approval of the Congress of the Philippines: 
Provided, That Congress shall be informed of any sale, lease, transfer, grant of usufruct, 
or assignment of franchise or the rights and privileges acquired thereunder, or of the 
merger or transfer of the controlling interest of the grantee, within sixty (60) days after 
the completion of the transaction: Provided, further, That failure to report to Congress 
such change of ownership shall render the franchise ipso facto revoked: Provided, finally, 
That any person or entity to which this franchise is sold, transferred or assigned shall be 
subject to the same conditions, terms, restrictions, and limitations of this Act.  
 
SEC. 15.  Reportorial Requirement. –  The Grantee shall submit an annual report 
to Congress, through the Committee on Legislative Franchises of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Public Services of the Senate, on its compliance 
with the terms and conditions of the franchise and on its operations on or before April 30 
of every year during the term of its franchise.  
 
The annual report shall include an update on the commencement of activities, 
development, operation, and expansion of business, audited financial statements, and 
certification of the NTC on the status of its permits and operations. 


The reportorial compliance certificate issued by Congress shall be required before 
any application for permit or certificate is accepted by the NTC. 
 
SEC. 16. Fine. – Failure of the Grantee to submit the requisite annual report to 
Congress shall be penalized by a fine of Five hundred pesos (P500.00) per working day 
of noncompliance. The fine shall be collected separately by the NTC distinct from the 
penalties it imposes for noncompliance of its own reportorial requirements. 
 
SEC. 17.  Equality Clause. – Any advantage, favor, privilege, exemption, or 
immunity granted under existing franchises, or which may hereafter be granted for radio 
broadcasting, upon prior review and approval of Congress, shall become part of this 
franchise and shall be accorded immediately and unconditionally to the grantee: 
Provided, That the foregoing shall neither apply to nor affect the provisions of 
broadcasting franchises pertaining to the term, type of service or territorial coverage of 
the franchise. 
 
SEC. 18. Repealability and Nonexclusivity Clause. – This franchise is subject to 
amendment, alteration, or repeal by the Congress of the Philippines when the public 
interest so requires and is not interpreted as an exclusive grant of the privileges herein 
provided for. 
 
SEC. 19.  Separability Clause. – If any provision or part of this Act is declared 
invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not affected shall remain in 
force and effect. 
 
SEC. 20. Repealing Clause. – All laws, executive orders, issuances, rules and 
regulations inconsistent with or contrary to the provisions of this Act are repealed, 
amended or modified accordingly. 
 
SEC. 21.  Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,