Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5) — As the broadcast giant shuts down following the expiry of its legislative franchise, ABS-CBN journalists stand their ground and commit to continue executing their watchdog role.
“Nangangako kami sa inyo, hindi kami mananahimik sa pag-atakeng ito sa ating demokrasya at sa malayang pamamahayag,” news anchor Noli de Castro told viewers as he ended Tuesday’s TV Patrol newscast.
[Translation: We promise you that we will not remain silent amid the attacks on our democracy and press freedom.]
The network went off air Tuesday evening after the National Telecommunications Commission ordered it to stop operations, on account of its 25-year license having expired on Monday. This move to shut down ABS-CBN, however, has been denounced by various groups which regard the closure order as an attack on press freedom and a means by the government to silence its critics.
Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte publicly announced his objection to the granting of a fresh franchise to ABS-CBN, as he repeatedly accused the latter of biased reporting. The chief executive also criticized the network for reportedly refusing to air his already paid campaign advertisments during the 2016 elections.
For its part, the NTC said there was “no other option” but to issue a cease and desist order for the broadcast corporation, citing the need to “comply with the law.”
Numerous bills seeking to renew the corporation’s franchise remain pending in Congress.
Following the shutdown, a number of journalists and artists alike have echoed De Castro’s and ABS-CBN president Carlo Katigbak’s statement: the cease and desist order is not enough to “silence” them.
Ging Reyes, the head of ABS-CBN Integrated News and Current Affairs, said the closure order will not stop the network’s service to the Filipino people.
“You can take us off the air but you can’t silence us,” broadcaster Ces Oreña-Drilon also wrote.
READ: TIMELINE: ABS-CBN franchise
“Mahirap magsawalang-kibo sa mga taong katulad ninyo na patuloy na nang-aabuso,” he wrote, addressing those who rallied for the corporation’s shutdown. “Wala kayong mga konsensiya, naatim niyong pagkaitan ng hanapbuhay at pabayaang magutom ang ilang libong mga pamilya.”
[Translation: It’s hard not to react to people like you who continue to commit abuses. You have no conscience, you deprive people of their jobs and leave thousands of families starving.]
“I will fight for our staff and crew and our journalists who continue to do their jobs despite tremendous challenges and risks to their health and personal safety. We are ABS-CBN and this is our calling! We may be off the air but we will not be silenced,” she wrote on her Facebook page.
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Meanwhile, actor Coco Martin aired his grievances in an Instagram post and called the NTC’s decision, which leaves the network’s thousands of employees out of work, “wrong” and “unjust.”
