MANILA (UCAN): The Philippines’ Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People has expressed support for ABS-CBN Corp., the country’s largest television network, which faces having its license revoked after the president, Rodrigo Duterte, accused it of shady business practices such as charging viewing fees and flouting foreign ownership laws.
The franchise expires on March 30. Its renewal remains pending in Congress, which is dominated by Duterte’s allies.
Duterte has vowed to block the renewal of the network’s license in a move observers say is an attempt to crack down on those critical of him, his administration and his controversial drug war.
ABS-CBN has been operating for 65 years, running free-to-air television channels as well as AM and FM radio stations.
In a statement, Bishop Ruperto Santos, vice-chairperson of the episcopal commission, said the television network has given “joy and hope” to Filipino migrant workers for years.
“(It) is their hope and joy amidst the pain of separation from their families and hard work for their employers,” the bishop said, noting that the network’s channel that caters to Filipinos abroad connects migrant workers with what is happening in the country, “and find themselves still united, identified with us here.”
Bishop Santos shared how Filipinos who are born in other countries speak Filipino because of ABS-CBN’s broadcasts.
Various media groups have condemned the government’s move to block the renewal of the franchise, calling it a threat to press freedom (Sunday Examiner, February 23).
“This is not just about ABS-CBN. This is not just about the Philippine media. This is about whether anyone can or should deprive you, the Filipino people, of your right to know,” read a statement from the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines.
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
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The National Union of People’s Lawyers said the government move was reminiscent of martial law years during the 1970s under the late dictator, Ferdinand Marcos.
“During those years, the media was put under government control and the information flow was restricted,” a lawyer, Ephraim Cortez said. “Independent journalists and media workers were similarly threatened and silenced with false charges.”
The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines called the bid to close ABS-CBN political harassment that threatens “a pillar of the media industry that employs thousands of Filipinos.”
This is not the first time that the Duterte administration has targeted media companies critical of his administration.
In 2018 and 2019, he tried to shut down the news website Rappler after it reported about the government’s so-called war on terror and its role in spreading fake news in the country.
However presidential spokesperson, Salvador Panelo, claimed on February 21 that Duterte’s repeated threats against ABS-CBN should not to be taken seriously, according to a report by PhilStar.
“…the president made utterances against ABS-CBN… like ‘I’ll shut down.’ But hindi naman literal ’yun eh (that’s not even literal). He wants to shut down the fraudulent practices of your network,” Panelo insisted in an interview with ANC, pointing to the network’s alleged failure to air political ads that had been paid for.
