Grant of Radio Station Franchise to Philippine Greenhills Development Corp.

June 21, 1969

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 5810

AN ACT GRANTING PHILIPPINE GREENHILLS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION A FRANCHISE TO ESTABLISH, MAINTAIN AND OPERATE PRIVATE FIXED POINT-TO-POINT, PRIVATE COASTAL, LAND-BASED, AERONAUTICAL AND LAND-MOBILE RADIO STATIONS FOR THE TRANSMISSION AND RECEPTION OF WIRELESS MESSAGES

SECTION 1. Philippine Greenhills Development Corporation is hereby granted a franchise to establish, maintain and operate fixed point-to-point, private coastal, land-based, aeronautical and land-mobile radio stations in the Municipality of Makati, Province of Rizal, and in all such places within the Philippines where it operates its business and/or when the interest of its trade and business activities justify, subject to the approval of the Secretary of Public Works and Communications for the transmission and reception of wireless messages on radio telegraph, and radio telephone, radio teletype, radio photo, facsimile, pictures and such other types of emission to and from said stations, each station to be provided with the necessary radio transmitting and radio receiving apparatus.

SECTION 2. This franchise shall continue in force for a period of twenty-five years, renewable for another twenty-five years, and is granted upon the express condition that the same shall be void unless the construction or installation of at least one station be begun within two years from the date of approval of this Act and be completed within four years from said date. cd i

SECTION 3. The President of the Philippines shall have the power and authority to permit the location of said private fixed point-to-point, private coastal, land-based, aeronautical and land-mobile radio stations on any land of the public domain upon such terms as he may prescribe.

SECTION 4. The grantee shall not engage in domestic business of telecommunications in the Philippines without further special assent of the Congress of the Philippines, it being understood that the purpose of this franchise is to secure to the grantee the right to establish, maintain and operate fixed point-to-point, private coastal, land-based, aeronautical and land-mobile radio stations at places herein aforestated for not other purpose than to promote and subserve the trade and business interest of the grantee.

SECTION 5. No fees shall be charged by the grantee as the radio stations that may be established by virtue of this Act shall engage in communications regarding the grantee's business only.

SECTION 6. The grantee shall so construct and operate its stations as not to interfere with the operation of other radio stations maintained and operated in the Philippines.

SECTION 7. The grantee is authorized to operate its radio stations on the frequency or frequencies that may be assigned to it by the Secretary of Public Works and Communications.

SECTION 8. A special right is hereby reserved to the President of the Philippines in time of war, insurrection, public peril, calamity, or disaster to cause the closing of the grantee's radio stations or to authorize the temporary use or possession thereof by any department of the Government upon just compensation.

SECTION 9. This franchise shall be subject to amendment, alteration, or repeal by the Congress of the Philippines when the public interest so requires, and shall not be interpreted as an exclusive grant of the privilege herein provided for.

SECTION 10. In the event of any competing individual, partnership or corporation receiving from the Congress of the Philippines a similar franchise on 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 terms or terms shall ipso facto become a part of the terms hereof and shall operate equally in favor of the herein grantee as in the case of said competing individual, partnership or corporation.

SECTION 11. The grantee shall not lease, transfer, grant the usufruct of, seal or assign this franchise, or the rights and privileges acquired thereunder to any person, firm, company, corporation or other commercial or legal entity, or merge with any other person, company, corporation or other commercial or legal entity organized for the same purpose without the approval of the Congress of the Philippines first had. Any corporation to which this franchise may be sold, transferred or assigned shall be subject to the corporation laws of the Philippines now existing or hereafter enacted, and 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 conditions, terms, restrictions and limitations of this franchise.

SECTION 12. The grantee shall be liable to pay the same taxes, unless exempted therefrom, on its business, real estate, buildings and personal property, exclusive of this franchise, as other persons or corporations are now or hereafter may be required by law to pay. cdt

SECTION 13. Whenever in this Act the term "grantee" is used it shall be held and understood to mean and represent Philippine Greenhills Development Corporation, its representatives, successors or assigns.

SECTION 14. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Enacted without Executive approval, June 21, 1969.

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 66, No. 5, p. 969 on February 2, 1970