So bakit hindi pa nabebenta ang gov't sequestered stations IBC 13 at RPN 9?

Nagyabang yung Arroyo acolyte na si Fel Marangay ng MST (Jan. 16, 2006):

Despite the fact that RPN-9 and IBC-13 television networks have good potentials in the media business if they get a capital infusion and if managed professionally, little progress was made in privatizing them, prompting the skeptics and opposition politicians to suspect that their sale was being deliberately withheld to enable the incumbent administration (from President Corazon Aquino to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo) to use them for propaganda purposes, especially during election campaign. This suspicion was reenforced when Mrs. Arroyo ranted that she was being unfairly treated by the "hostile" and "one-sided" media, blaming them for her plummeting ratings in the popularity charts.

However, the Arroyo administration deplores the "misimpression" that it is footdragging on the disposition of the two sequestered TV networks. In fact, the Palace says that broadcast executive Cerge Remonde was named secretary of government mass media last year precisely to speed up their privatization. If the government has selfish motives for holding on to sequestered media establishments, the Palace asserts that it would have blocked the return of the Journal Group of Publications, including the profitable People's Journal tabloid, to its rightful owner, the Philippine Journalists Inc. even before the 2004 elections.

Excuse me, Mr. Marangay, but the return of the Journal Group of Publications was only done after the 2004 elections-- nung hindi na kailangan ng Arroyo administration ang media resources ng Journal empire and it's tabloids dahil akala nila tapos na ang legitimacy problems ni Arroyo.

Yan ang akala nila.

And you're right Fel na they would have sold RPN 9 and IBC 13 too, but that was before sumabog ang Gloriagate scandal. RPN and IBC 13 were supposed to be sold between March to May of 2006, but now these gov't sequestered TV stations are once again valuable assets to the Arroyo admin and it's Congressional allies at hindi muna nila ito ibebente. Kasi kailangan nila ang dalawang tv stations na ito to spout off their gov't propaganda against the Anti-Arroyo opposition and to help Arroyo's allies get free airtime and political ads during the runup to the 2007 elections.

So don't expect these IBC and RPN to be sold off until the administration feels that the crisis is over... meaning from now till the 2007 midterm elections hindi nila ibebenta yung mga tv stations na yan. And you can take that to the bank.

MORE: Palusot pa itong colleague ni Marangay na si Emil Jurado (june 27, 2006):

THE privatization council of the Department of Finance has found it very difficult to privatize the government-sequestered television networks RPN-9 (Radio Philippine Network) and IBC-13 (Intercontinental Broadcasting Corp.)

First, RPN-9’s roster of employees is overstated with over 700 workers. ABS-CBN, the giant television network, has only over 350 employees. Second, RPN-9 has the most active union in the industry, one that was able to wangle government benefits, perks and a collective bargaining agreement that no government corporation has ever given to any union. And third, which I believe is the biggest stumbling block to privatization, is that it has a big number of minority stockholders who are against privatization.

I recall that when I was still with KBS (Kanlaon Broadcasting System), all officers and employees of the KBS-managed corporations under the late Roberto Benedicto issued shares of stocks charged against their pay, which are worth nothing now in the market. These included BBC-4, which went back to ABS-CBN after 1986, GTV-4, the government network, RPN-9, and IBC-13.

As for IBC-13, which together with RPN-9 has been consistently hemorrhaging by the millions of pesos, it also has minority stockholders who are claiming their shares. No wonder, all those interested in buying out RPN-9 and IBC-13 have backed out. They are buying into nothing except franchises to operate radio and television nationwide. That’s all RPN-9 and IBC-13 is worth.

RIIIIGHHHT!

Like i said, i don't expect these valuable media assets to be sold anytime soon dahil kailangan pa ito ni Arroyo.