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MANILA, Philippines – Bayan Muna and the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Sunday exchanged spikes on the issue of the ABS-CBN shutdown.
Bayan Muna’s representative Ferdinand Gaite hit the task force for dipping his hands into the media giant’s problems, noting that the NTF-ELCAC statement “reveals who is really behind the shutdown.”
“As we have been saying, the money stops at the Palace,” Gaite said in a statement.
“Fake posts on social networks”
Bayan Muna released the statement after the task force posted on its official Facebook page on Saturday some “key points” about the closure of the country’s largest television network, which the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) it had closed pending Congress approval of its franchise renewal.
In the now-deleted publication, the NTF-ELCAC alleged that the “ABS-CBN franchise renewal application was rejected” due to legal issues raised against it.
The publication was shared by the official accounts of the Office of Presidential Communications Operations (PCOO) and the Information Agency of the Philippines-National Capital Region.
However, the Malacañang communication team disavowed the social media posts against ABS-CBN, and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the erroneous post was published without “the office’s usual investigation process”.
“That said, the published content is in no way an official statement or opinion of the PCOO,” Andanar said.
PCOO has already removed the shared post.
According to Gaite, the points raised by the working group have already been answered during the Senate hearing, where government officials cleared the network on questions of taxes and pay-per-view services, among others.
He also mentioned that NTF-ECLAC has been “spitting lies to malign and harass government critics” since its inception.
Communist Fronts ’using the ABS-CBN theme
In a statement, the task force justified their claims on social media, saying that progressive groups such as Bayan Muna, Amnesty International Philippines, Karapatan and IBON, which it has been calling as “legal fronts” of the communist group, are using ABS- CBN problem against the government.
“The CPP NPA NDF, through its above and below ground organizations, will stop at nothing and will use everything to wreak havoc and agitate and divide the Filipino people against their government to achieve their sole ultimate goal: to overthrow the government and then to replace it with its obsolete, impious and vicious ideology: communism, at a moment in the history of our world when this ideology has made its way to near extinction, “he said.
While he said the issue should be addressed by Congress, the NTC, the task force insisted that “it will not stand idly by and do nothing as these Communist organizations on the terrorist front delight in the issue by insisting on their twisted and false narratives and fabricated lies fool people. “
“This is where NTF-ELCAC comes in to discredit this cruel anti-government propaganda to protect the public interest,” he added.
ABS-CBN grateful for public support
Since the NTC issued a cease and desist order against ABS-CBN, netizens, media professionals, lawmakers and groups have flooded social media with messages of solidarity.
In a statement Sunday, the media giant thanked the public for the overwhelming support.
“This is a challenging time for the network. But we have found strength and inspiration in the many acts of kindness and support that the public has shown us, ”said ABS-CBN.
Thank you for letting us know that we are important to you. In return, we reiterate our commitment to continue serving you, “he added.
The broadcasting giant asked the Supreme Court to annul the closure order issued by the NTC and issue a permanent mandate against its implementation.
The High Court will raffle next week’s ABS-CBN petition against the NTC cease and desist order.
/ MUF
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