Business groups urge Congress: Act on ABS-CBN franchise renewal

MANILA, Philippines — Business groups yesterday called on Congress to take immediate action on the bills seeking to renew the franchise of broadcast giant ABS-CBN after the network went off the air on Tuesday night following the order of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to stop its operations.

The NTC issued a cease and desist order after ABS-CBN’s 25-year franchise expired on Monday.

The order covers the network’s five AM radio stations, 18 FM stations and 42 television stations.

“We in the Management Association of the Philippines hoped that this day would never come as we, together with other business organizations, urged Congress to consider in a timely and judicious manner the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise,” MAP president Francis Lim said.

The Makati Business Club (MBC) issued a similar appeal to Congress as it expressed concern on the network’s shutdown.

“We support a balanced, fair and swift consideration of the bills filed by lawmakers to renew ABS-CBN’s franchise. If there are legitimate issues against the company, Congress should address these while defending constitutional rights and freedoms, according equal treatment as other companies with expired franchises and pending applications and preserving broadcast and communications systems that can deliver truth, news and information to even the farthest points of the country, especially at this time,” the MBC said.

The MBC said the NTC order is not just a blow to press freedom, but also a setback at a time when the country is grappling with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Now more than ever, everyone should be working together on the singular goal of helping each other through this crisis,” the MBC said.

Uproar over shutdown

At 7:52 p.m. of May 5, ABS-CBN signed off from the airwaves following a cease and desist order issued by the NTC.

What followed was a deluge of criticisms, including from individuals who have aired their displeasure on social media accounts.

Shortly after midnight, over a million tweets using the hashtag #NoToABSCBNShutDown have been published on Twitter.

It was the top trending topic for hours on the online platform.

Another million tweets contained related terms, such as #DefendPressFreedom, ABS-CBN and #IStandWithABSCBN.

According to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), the closure of the network sends a chilling effect on free media and impacts negatively on freedom of expression.

“At this point, we cannot stress enough how access to credible information is crucial in addressing the spread of COVID-19,” CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said.

Academe takes stand

Various academic institutions have expressed support for ABS-CBN following its shutdown.

The University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication underscored the need for a free press, especially during the pandemic.

The University of Santo Tomas said the NTC order is a clear disservice to the Filipinos, especially at a time when information is key to saving lives.

De La Salle University lit up its campus in the colors of ABS-CBN in solidarity with the network and its employees.

Ateneo de Manila University president Jose Ramon Villarin said the network’s shutdown shows “shades of martial law,” noting how former dictator Ferdinand Marcos silenced the media and free speech.

ABS-CBN last went off the air when Marcos declared martial law in 1972.

The Polytechnic University College of Communications also condemned the NTC decision, describing it as a clear attack against press freedom.

Far Eastern University said shutting down the network is a clear threat to democracy as ABS-CBN plays a crucial role in ensuring that checks and balances in the government are in place.

Support for ABS-CBN

Vice President Leni Robredo condemned the NTC’s order to shut down ABS-CBN as the nation battles COVID-19.

Robredo emphasized the significance of the media in determining the areas where help is needed the most.

“The free flow of information literally saves lives. The closure of ABS-CBN costs lives, on top of burdening the thousands who will lose their jobs,” she said.

Robredo also slammed the government for ordering the closure of the network while allowing the reopening of online gambling in the country.

“It’s alarming that ABS-CBN was closed as POGOs (Philippine offshore gaming operators) were allowed to open again. It is not difficult to determine which of these two is most helpful in responding to the crisis we face today,” she said.

Integrated Bar of the Philippines president Domingo Cayosa said the NTC could grant ABS-CBN provisional permit to operate pending renewal of its franchise by Congress.

“Congress can speedily vote on the franchise bills as it has passed laws within days, such as Bayanihan Act,” he said.

Cayosa said the NTC order raised constitutional and legal issues that should be resolved in a proper forum.

A coalition of journalist groups slammed the shutdown of ABS-CBN, describing it as an assault on the people’s constitutional right to free press and speech.

“The timing borders on the bizarre when on May 3, World Press Freedom Day, Solicitor General Jose Calida warned the NTC of graft charges if it allowed the network to operate beyond May 4, the date its franchise expired,” the Freedom for Media, Freedom for All (FMFA) Network said.

Free Legal Assistance Group national chairman Jose Manuel Diokno called on the NTC to withdraw the cease and desist order it issued against ABS-CBN.

“The NTC should do the right thing: protect the free flow of information and the people’s right to know during this time of public health emergency by immediately rescinding the CDO,” Diokno said.

Human Rights Watch Asia deputy director Phil Robertson said the ABS-CBN shutdown is a blatant attack on the public’s right to access information, especially during the global pandemic.

Church officials asked Congress to act swiftly on the network’s franchise renewal.

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said the closure of ABS-CBN would leave thousands of workers jobless.

San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza also slammed the NTC decision as the country is facing COVID-19 pandemic.

Baguio City Rep. Mark Go asked the House committee on legislative franchises to urgently tackle the network’s franchise renewal.

Go said the NTC committed to Congress during a previous hearing that it would grant ABS-CBN provisional permit to operate.

He authored House Bill 6138, one of 11 measures filed in Congress seeking the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise.

Terry Ridon, former head of the presidential commission for the urban poor, urged President Duterte to recall the NTC order.

Framers of the 1987 Constitution said the cease and desist order to shut down ABS-CBN could not have come at a worst time.

“The network with the widest reach in the country not only has the potential but in fact has been helping to inform and mobiize our people to put up our community defenses aganst the deadly coronavirus,” read the statement signed by former constitutional commission members Felicitas Arroyo, Florangel Rosario Braid, Ed Garcia and Chistian Monsod.

They said the NTC action in the face Congress’ inactivity runs contrary to the mandates of the Charter, wherein “the State shall provide the policy environment for communication structures suitable to the needs of the nation and balanced flow of information.”

The Liberal Party said by ordering the shutdown, the administration has hampered “our collective capability to respond to the current public health crisis.”

The opposition political party said government chose to ignore a provisionary status that would have allowed ABS-CN to continue their work. – Janvic Mateo, Helen Flores, Elizabeth Marcelo, Evelyn Macairan, Robertzon Ramirez, Gilbert Bayoran, Eva Visperas, Artemio Dumlao, Mayen Jaymalin