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Another Gutsy Philippine Media Outlet Fights to Keep Its Operating License

Ralph Jennings

   TAIPEI, TAIWAN - The sudden shutdown of a 74-year-old Philippine
   broadcast network marks the Southeast Asian country's second legal
   action this year against a media outlet that had challenged the
   president, deepening worries about media freedom.

   Manila's National Telecommunications Commission ordered May 5 that
   ABS-CBN quit operating radio and television stations in the capital,
   the network said on its news website. It was further ordered to take
   four regional stations off the air, the network said.

   ABS-CBN's franchise agreement had expired May 4, during a long shutdown
   due to the COVID-19 outbreak, despite efforts by the network to get a
   congressional nod for renewal.

   The government of President Rodrigo Duterte disputed terms of the
   renewal. Duterte felt that the network had "swindled" him bywhat he
   described as not airing ads for his 2016 national election
   campaign,ABS-CBN reported on its news website.

   "Ithink it's terrible," said Herbie Gomez, editor of the Gold Star
   Daily news website in the Philippine city Cagayan de Oro. "It's one of
   the biggest TV networks in the country. The shutdown left a void. There
   are other networks, but ABS-CBN is different. I think what happened was
   the reporting of the network really angered the president."

   A report on the network's website Monday, for example, says the
   Philippines "ranks poorly in fight vs COVID" with an unusually high
   death rate.

   Filipinos see the network as a source of independently reported news
   rather than repetition of official statements.

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