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Television screens tuned to the Philippines’ largest broadcaster, ABS-CBN, went blank Tuesday night, after the network was kicked out on a cease-and-desist order that has been condemned as a blatant attack. against press freedom.
The media group, which has been repeatedly attacked by the country’s president, Rodrigo Duterte, has faced months of uncertainty about its future. A request to renew his franchise, a requirement to continue operations, had been delayed in Congress.
It was hoped that the network could continue to transmit during the coronavirus blockade, when access to reliable information is crucial to public health. Millions of people living in the country’s capital and major cities remain under quarantine until mid-May.
On Tuesday, however, the network stopped working just before 8 p.m., following the decision of the country’s telecommunications body, the National Telecommunications Commission. His 25-year franchise in Congress ended Monday.
Danilo Arao, a professor of journalism at the University of the Philippines, said the order is likely to have a negative effect on journalism in the Philippines.
“The government has hated ABS-CBN from the start, but somehow we hoped it would not be so blatant, given the need for timely information. ABS-CBN, hate it or not, you cannot rule out that its reach is very, very far in terms of audience and audience, “Arao said.
“[The order] It will send a forceful message to other journalists and media organizations that if you continue critical reporting, or even if you are targeted by the powers that be, you could end up as ABS-CBN, ”he added.
Duterte has repeatedly threatened to stop ABS-CBN, and previously accused him of not broadcasting his campaign ads and not returning payments. In a speech in December, he mocked the network and stated: “ABS-CBN, your contract is about to expire. If I were you, you’d better sell it … I’ll make sure you remember this episode from our times forever. “
In February, government attorneys moved to strip the media group of its franchise by filing a petition with the country’s highest court alleging that it had violated foreign ownership rules.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement Tuesday that Duterte had left the fate of his franchise to Congress, adding that “the continued operation of ABS-CBN depends entirely on the NTC’s decision.” Duterte had accepted an apology from the network regarding a disagreement over the ads, he said.
Media groups say the network has provided critical coverage of Duterte’s presidency, including his brutal crackdown on drugs in which thousands of people were killed.
It is not the first time that ABS-CBN has been switched off. In September 1972, the company’s headquarters were seized and its channels used to broadcast government propaganda, after the then President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos, declared martial law. It reopened 14 years later, when Marcos was overthrown.
More recently, media freedom in the Philippines has declined under Duterte, and the country now ranks 136 out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index for Reporters Without Borders (RSF). His analysis cited threats of violence against journalists, online harassment campaigns waged by Pro-Duterte’s troll armies, and the multiple legal charges facing the Rappler website and its publisher, Maria Ressa.
Ressa described Tuesday’s decision as “a death sentence and a call to action,” adding: “We support ABS-CBN and all journalists who continue to illuminate and expose irregularities despite state-sponsored efforts to silence them. “, said.
ABS-CBN, which employs more than 11,000 people, has 10 days to respond and say why the assigned frequencies should not be withdrawn, according to the request. Attorney General Menardo Guevarra said the decision could be appealed in court, Rappler reported.
In a statement, the network said millions of Filipinos will lose their source of news and entertainment at a time when “people need crucial and timely information as the nation faces the Covid-19 pandemic.”
