SHUTTERED. The Cagayan de Oro City office of the Enforcement and Operations Division of the National Telecommunications Commission - Northern Mindanao. On Tuesday (Nov. 28, 2023), the agency said five radio stations will be served with a cease and desist order after their main network franchise expired. (PNA photo by Nef Luczon)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - Five radio stations in Northern Mindanao are subject to a cease and desist order (CDO) after their franchises were not renewed.
National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) - Region 10 Director Teodoro Buenavista Jr. said their recent decision called for the closure of the five radio stations under the Fairwaves Broadcasting Network here.
"Fairwaves applied for renewal in 2018, but the House of Representatives did not move it from the committee level," Buenavista said in an interview on Tuesday.
Fairwaves first obtained its 25-year franchise in 1995 under Republic Act 8113.
An earlier NTC decision this year recommended the recall of the frequencies assigned to Fairwaves.
The decision listed 30 stations under Fairwaves all over the country, including in this city, Misamis Oriental, and Bukidnon.
Most station names under Fairwaves carry the station name Radyo Bandera.
On Nov. 24, Radyo Bandera Iligan was among the 14 business establishments locked down by the local government for allegedly operating without business permits.
Jeoffrey Baconga, manager at DXFI FM Radyo Bandera in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental, said their operations will not be affected by the CDO because the network is now under an agreement with a new franchise operator, Palawan Broadcasting.
He said the chief executive officer of the Radyo Bandera network, Sultan Lope, is aware of the NTC decision.
Baconga added that all Bandera stations are expected to operate under Palawan Broadcasting and no longer under Fairwaves. (PNA)
