Media groups mount drive to ‘save’ ABS-CBN from attacks, shutdown

MEDIA groups have cried foul against what they call the Duterte administration’s “Marcosian game plan” to derail the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN Corp., calling it a blatant attack to suppress press freedom marred with “putrid motives.”

The pushback was led by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), which launched an online signature campaign to support the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN. It aims to gather at least 5 million signatures for the campaign.

ABS-CBN is required under the law to secure a congressional franchise as a television network. Duterte has been attacking the network since 2016, claiming that it is biased and unfair. He also cited tax cases, which have since been cleared out, as his reason for blocking the franchise of the network.

Congress has yet to deliberate on the franchise bill. The existing franchise of ABS-CBN is set to expire on March 30.

In a statement, AlterMidya, a coalition of independent media entities, said President Duterte is weaponizing his power and influence in the legislature by publicly admitting that he will block the renewal of the franchise of ABS-CBN, one of the two largest networks in the Philippines.

“The heightened threats by the Duterte administration to derail ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal speak volumes of how the President is following the Marcosian game plan to the letter. How can the nation forget how in the early years of the Marcos dictatorship, the regime confiscated TV and radio stations owned by the Lopezes and transferred the control to his cronies?” the statement read.

AlterMidya added that Duterte’s move is textbook “Marcosian,” as he earlier suggested that the Lopezes simply sell the network to another entity to save it.

“Duterte is brazenly picking instructions from that same playbook, even suggesting that the owners of ABS-CBN just sell the network, increasing suspicions that he wants the ownership of one of the biggest media networks in the country to go to one of his cronies,” the statement read.

The group also scored the President for allegedly using “a plethora of legal tools” through the Office of the Solicitor General, which is reportedly using a “quo warranto petition” to cancel the existing franchise of ABS-CBN.

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/01/21/media-groups-mount-drive-to-save-abs-cbn-from-attacks-shutdown/