The Philippines' top broadcaster has gone off air after it was ordered by the media regulator to stop operations. ABS-CBN
said it had been told it could continue broadcasting while it waited
for Congress to renew its licence, which expired on Monday. But the regulator said it must stop on Tuesday. The
channel has in the past angered President Rodrigo Duterte, who
correspondents say is well-known for silencing media critics. Just before its main channel went dark, Chairman Mark Lopez told
viewers: "It's painful for us that we are being shut down, but it's
also painful for millions of our countrymen who believe that our service
is important to them." In an earlier statement, ABS-CBN said it
would stop operations on Tuesday evening to comply with the order from
the National Telecommunications Commission, and urged lawmakers in
Congress, the lower house of parliament, to renew its franchise. "We
trust that the government will decide on our franchise with the best
interest of the Filipino people in mind, recognising ABS-CBN's role and
efforts in providing the latest news and information during these
challenging times," the channel said in a statement. President Duterte has been engaged in a long-running feud with
ABS-CBN, after the channel angered him during the 2016 presidential
election by refusing to broadcast his campaign ads. Opposition
lawmakers say the suspension order undermines the fight against the
coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 9,600 people in the
country and killed more than 600. "This shutdown order goes against public welfare," Senator Risa Hontiveros said in a statement. Antonio
Albano, vice-chairman of the lower chamber's committee on legislative
franchises, said Congress would order the telecoms body to explain its
action. "We are up in arms against this," he told DZMM radio, adding that only Congress could grant or revoke the franchise. Media watchdogs describe the move as a serious blow to press freedom. "Ordering
ABS-CBN to stop its operations is an outrageous attack on media
freedom... The Filipino people need accurate information from
independent sources. The government must act immediately to keep ABS-CBN
on air and cease all attempts to curtail media freedom," Amnesty
International's Philippines section director Butch Olano said in a
statement. "This latest move against ABS-CBN occurs after repeated
attacks in the past against the network by President Duterte himself.
It is yet another attack on freedom of expression in recent weeks,
following the authorities' legal threats against people who criticised
the government's response to the pandemic." Founded in 1953, the
media conglomerate employs some 11,000 people; it owns radio and
television stations nationwide, and distributes online content. (BBC News)
