Two days after World Freedom Press Day, the Philippines’ National Telecommunication’s Commission has issued a cease and desist order to one of the country’s largest nationwide TV network, ABS-CBN, despite Congress agreeing to grant provisional authority to operate as they deliberate on the franchise renewal. THIS IS A CLEAR ATTACK ON PRESS FREEDOM, stemming from Duterte’s personal vendetta against the network, whose franchise renewal he pledged to block. And all this in the middle of a fucking pandemic.
The video above shows the final bow of Noli de Castro, long-time journalist and news anchor of TV Patrol, a newscast program that’s been on the air everyday since 1987. This was written by the legendary EP, Ms. Ging Reyes.
Transcript below:
“Karangalan po namin na maglingkod sa inyo, kabayan. Hindi man na-renew ang aming prangkisa at pinatitigil ang ating broadcast, nangangako kami sa inyo na hindi kami mananahimik sa pagatakeng ito sa ating demokrasya at sa malayang pamamahayag. Sa harap po na pinakamalaking dako at hamon sa aming kumpanya at sa aming mga hanap-buhay, hinding hindi namin kayo tatalikuran, kabayan. Mga kapamilya kami. Tayo ang ABS-CBN. In the service of the Filipino. Saan man sila naroroon, sa buong mundo,”
English translation:
“It is our honor to serve you, compatriots. Our franchise may not have been renewed and our broadcast may have been shutdown, we promise to you that we will not be silenced by this attack on our democracy and press freedom. As we face the biggest challenge of our company and our careers, we will never turn our backs on you, compatriots. We are family. We are ABS-CBN. In the service of the Filipino. No matter where they may be, in the entire world.”
“It sends a clear message: What Duterte wants, Duterte gets. And it is clear, with this brazen move to shut down ABS-CBN, that he intends to silence the critical media and intimidate everyone else into submission,” the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines said in their statement.
WE CANNOT TAKE THIS LYING DOWN, MGA KABAYAN. Remember that this is not the first time a murderous dictator has shut down the network. Make noise. Push Congress to assert its mandate and authority over this. Hold NTC AND the Solicitor General Calida accountable for taking away a vital source of information from the Filipino people during a global crisis.
NTC COMPLAINT PAGE: http://ntc.gov.ph/?page_id=5575
NTC CONTACT NUMBER DIRECTORY: https://ncr.ntc.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/Contact_Information/NTC-CENTRAL-OFFICE-DIRECTORY-2019.pdf
OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR GENERAL TRUNKLINE: +63 (2) 8988-1-OSG
#IStandWithABSCBN #DefendPressFreedom #MalayangPamamahayag #OUSTDuterte
