MANILA (Agencies): “The heavens now weep for this blow to the Constitutional guarantee of the freedom of the press,” said a statement of the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines after the Committee on Legislative Franchises of the Philippine Congress voted to deny the franchise renewal application of ABS-CBN Corporation, the country’s biggest broadcasting network on July 10, UCAN reported.
The 25-year-old network’s application has been pending in the House of Representatives after the previous one expired on May 4. The lawmakers voted 70 to 11, denying the renewal of the franchise, which left 11,000 people jobless.
Under the Philippine law, only Congress can extend, renew or revoke franchises, including franchises of media and broadcast corporations.
The Major Religious Superiors said that the move also violates people’s right to receive information from the sources they trust.
Catholic leaders had been pushing Congress to renew the network’s license. However, the president, Rodrigo Duterte, has apparently stood against it for political reasons, UCAN reported.
In 2019, he threatened ABS-CBN for allegedly not supporting him during the 2016 presidential elections.
“You, ABS-CBN, your franchise will end next year. If you are expecting that it will be renewed, I’m sorry. You’re out. I will see that you are out,” said Duterte on national television.
The statement of the Major Religious Superiors said Congress’ “disgraceful act is nothing more than a brazen display of power!”
It said, “We salute the eleven lawmakers who stood up until the end in defending not only the franchise renewal but most importantly the hard-won democratic right of press freedom forcibly taken away during the dark era of Martial Law.”
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The statement, signed by Capuchin Father Cielito Almazan and Sister Marilyn Java, expressed how appalling the financial allegations made against ABS-CBN were and noted that the franchise was denied despite several government agencies clearing it of the allegations.
The apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila, Bishop Broderick Pabillo, had earlier urged lawmakers to make a decision based on the common good rather than on the political agenda of those in power and not to use the position of Congress as a political tool to control the media.
“Once more, Congress has disappointed us,” Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, said according to a July 11 CBCPNews report.
“And now, another channel of free expression is killed as if we have not killed enough of our countrymen,” he said.
“A great loss to all of us Filipinos. No one wins. It’s just an added suffering to all of us. No one can rejoice,” Bishop Ruperto Santos of Balanga, was quoted by CBCPNews as saying.
“Shutting down ABS-CBN will never bring healing. Our hope is extinguished. Help is not extended. It is a loss for all of us,” the bishop said.
“In this difficult and devastating time of Covid-19 we should be more considerate, more compassionate and charitable,” Bishop Santos added.
But “most importantly, who will benefit from this closure?” the Major Religious Superiors asked.
It “is an issue of upholding the fundamental right of press freedom and access to information by the people. This is also an issue of the right to job security of the thousands of workers,” it added.
Rappler reported on July 12 that, for the second day in a row, employees, celebrities, and supporters staged a noise barrage in front of the ABS-CBN compound in Quezon City protesting of the non-renewal of the franchise.
ABS-CBN’s president and chief executive officer, Carlo Katigbak, thanked supporters and said they considered public service and independent journalism their primary mission.
“You are our reason for our being. If you believe our service is important and valuable, and if you believe that ABS-CBN is deserving to continue providing that service, please let your thoughts and feelings be heard,” Katigbak said.
