THE
PHILIPPINE government has shut down Tuesday the country’s largest television
network after it failed to renew its franchise amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The
National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) said it has served the notice on
ABS-CBN to cease its broadcast operations, including all its radio stations.
The closure came after Solicitor General Jose
Calida warned the NTC on May 3 against granting provisional authority to ABS-CBN, saying,
only Congress can grant franchises to public utilities, including broadcasting
companies, for them to operate.
But Congress did not act on ABS-CBN’s franchise
renewal.
Former Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo even told lawmakers in
February to do their job, saying, it is the responsibility of Congress to
deliberate on whether or not to grant or renew franchises. “As far as he
(Duterte) is concerned, that issue is in the hands of Congress and he has
nothing to do with it. Do their work,” Panelo said.
ABS-CBN President and CEO, Carlo Katigbak also
gave his statement on the last hour of its broadcast and said thousands of
employees will be affected by the closure.
“Alang-alang po sa mahigit labing-isang libong
nagta-trabaho sa ABS-CBN at sa kanilang mga pamilya na maaapektuhan ang
kabuhayan at maaaring mawalan ng trabaho. Alang-alang
po sa milyun-milyong Pilipinong kailangan ang serbisyo ng ABS-CBN, lalo na sa
ngayong panahon ng pinakamatinding krisis sa Pilipinas at sa buong mundo. Sa
oras na ito, kami naman po ang humihingi ng inyong pagdamay,” said Katigbak.
It
was the second time the ABS-CBN was shut down. In 1972, Dictator Ferdinand
Marcos also closed down the television network and seized all its properties after
declaring martial law on September 22.
And
in February 1986, a military coup
backed by over a million Filipinos mounted a revolution that deposed Marcos, ending
his corrupt and brutal regime. And ABS-CBN was returned to its rightful owner.
Last
year, President Rodrigo Duterte repeatedly threatened to shut down ABS-CBN for failing to
air his paid political advertisements in 2016.
Katigbak apologized to the president in February
- during a senate hearing into ABS-CBN’s franchise compliance - over the
political advertisements that showed Duterte cursing and several children asking
if his actions were right.
He said ABS-CBN was just
abiding by the laws and regulations that surround the airing of political ads.
He said due to an airtime limit, ABS-CBN failed to air around P7 million worth
of Duterte's election advertisements and refunded P4 million, but the remaining
was rejected by his camp.
Duterte’s
spokesman, Harry Roque thanked ABS-CBN for its services to the people, but
stood firm that the network cannot continue its broadcast operations without
the legislative franchise. “We thank the network for its services to the
Filipino nation and people especially in this time of Covid-19. But in the
absence of a legislative franchise, as we have earlier said, ABS-CBN’s
continued operation is entirely the NTC’s decision,” he said.
Roque said ABS-CBN
is free to exhaust all legal remedies available to it.
“President Rodrigo Roa
Duterte, as a matter of record, accepted the apology of the network and left
its fate to both houses of Congress. Let the public be informed that broadcast
franchises are within the authority of Congress. It
has discretion on what to do with the legislative franchise of ABS-CBN and
other broadcasting companies similarly situated,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)
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