Philippines government orders top broadcaster ABS-CBN to halt operations
- ABS-CBN’s 25-year licence expired on Monday, but officials had previously given assurances the conglomerate would be allowed to operate provisionally
- Several major media outlets in the Philippines have battled with President Rodrigo Duterte and then suffered the consequences
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The Philippines’ top broadcaster ABS-CBN on Tuesday was ordered off the air over a stalled operating licence renewal, drawing fresh charges that authorities were cracking down on press freedom.
Critics slam Duterte’s move to axe franchise of Philippine broadcaster ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN’s 25-year licence expired on Monday, but officials had previously given assurances the radio, TV and internet goliath would be allowed to operate provisionally.
However, the National Telecommunications Commission’s cease and desist order cited the expiration and gave the outfit’s operators a chance to explain why it should be allowed to keep broadcasting.
“Millions of Filipinos will lose their source of news and entertainment ... when people need crucial and timely information as the nation deals with the Covid-19 pandemic,” the media giant said in a statement.
Company President Carlo Katigbak appealed to people to let their feelings on the closure be “felt, expressed and heard” for the benefit of the network’s more than 11,000 employees and millions of Filipinos who he said need the network’s services “specially now in the worst time of sickness and hunger”.
Early in his term, Duterte accused the network of failing to air his 2016 campaign advertisements and not returning the payments.
Bills to renew the broadcaster’s franchise have sat for years in the legislature, which is controlled by Duterte’s allies.
Press advocates said the order was an assault on the right to free speech.
“This is a very serious blow to press freedom in the Philippines,” said Carlos Conde of Human Rights Watch. “It’s hard to think that Duterte doesn’t have anything to do with this.”
It appeared the broadcaster would get its renewal after it publicly apologised to Duterte earlier this year, and the justice minister said the licence was considered extended until Congress took action.
But there has been a lingering threat in the form of a case filed in the nation’s top court by the government’s lawyer Jose Calida, which sought ABS-CBN’s immediate closure.
The Supreme Court has yet to rule on the case, and Calida has warned it was unlawful for the broadcaster to operate after its licence expired.
The Philippines’ ABS-CBN network is again fighting to survive, 34 years after liberation from Marcos
Several major media outlets in the Philippines have battled with Duterte and then suffered the consequences.
Rappler, which has published stories critical of Duterte’s administration, is also battling a government closure effort.
Both Rappler and ABS-CBN stand accused of violating a constitutional ban on foreign ownership of mass media outlets. They refute the allegations.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
