By Rommel F. Lopez
Senators blast the latest order of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) for ABS-CBN to shut down its subsidiary’s direct broadcast satellite service SKY Direct and terminate its TVPlus transmissions across the country.
“Nakakabahala.”
That was how Sen. Risa Hontivero described the NTC’s cease and desist order against the media giant.
“Sa panahon ng pandemiya, nililimitahan pa natin lalo ang access ng publiko sa mga mahahalagang impormasyon. Mas dinadagdagan din lalo natin ang mga Pilipinong mawawalan ng trabaho,” she said in a statement.
Hontiveros asked the telecommunications commission to reconsider its decision since the country is “in a crisis and because access to information is crucial”. Especially because of the COVID-19 global pandemic, we need to uphold freedom of the press, secure the rights and welfare of workers, and improve the public’s access to life-saving information. She noted that this is the same appeal in the resolution she filed last May and later adopted by the Senate.
Fellow opposition senator Francis Pangilinan said he hopes the Supreme Court (SC) immediately acts on the temporary restraining order that ABS-CBN filed before the court to halt the “madness” of the NTC’s order.
“We hope the Supreme Court puts on the brakes on this madness. Libu-libong mga empleyado ng stasyon ang mawawalan ng trabaho at milyon-milyon naman na manunuod ang mawawalan ng access sa impormasyon sa kahibangan na ito,” he said.
He said that the administration continuously “persecutes” the network while its failures in handling the COVID-19 pandemic and aid distribution to those affected by the lockdown are very evident.
“Pilit na dinidiin ang panggigipit habang kapalpakan naman ang ipinapakita sa pagsugpo sa COVID at pagbigay ng ayuda sa wala nang makain. Ang pagkaganid sa kapangyarihan walang hangganan liban na lang kung tutulan at pigilan ng ating mga korte o di kaya ng taumbayan sa pamamagitan ng mariing pagtutol at pagkondena. Huwag matakot magsalita at punahin ang pagmamalabis at palpak na pamumuno na nagaganap sa ating bansa.”
ABS-CBN went off-air last May 5 after a cease-and-desist order was issued by NTC due to the expiration of its broadcast franchise the day before.
Five AM radio stations, 18 FM radio stations, 42 TV stations, and 10 digital terrestrial television broadcasting stations under ABS-CBN Corp. were also ordered to halt operations.
The network filed a 46-page petition for certiorari and prohibition before the high court two days after the NTC issued its cease-and-desist order (CDO).
ABS-CBN is asking the SC to set aside the NTC’s order and issue a permanent injunction against its implementation, accusing the commission of grave abuse of discretion when it issued the controversial order to stop broadcasting after its franchise expired.
Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta said the SC will start deliberating the petition on July 13.
Since assuming the presidency in 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte has taken issue with the Lopez-owned network’s news coverage of his administration even accusing it of refusing to air his campaign ad despite accepting payment in 2016,. He even promised to go easy on the network if ABS-CBN promises to promote his federalism campaign for the country. Last year, Duterte vowed to block ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal and even advised the Lopezes to sell the company.