Human Rights Watch likens House panel vote to Marcos' shutdown of ABS-CBN

Human Rights Watch on Friday condemned a House committee's decision to deny ABS-CBN a new franchise, calling the majority vote a blow to Philippine press freedom.

Seventy lawmakers voted to adopt a technical working group's recommendation to deny the network's franchise application. Only 11 voted otherwise, two inhibited, and one abstained.

"Not since the dictator Ferdinand Marcos shut down ABS-CBN and other media outlets in 1972 has a single government act caused so much damage to media freedom," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch.

"This move solidifies the tyranny of President Rodrigo Duterte who accused ABS-CBN of slights against him and politically targeted it for refusing to toe the government’s line and criticizing his so-called 'war on drugs,'" he added in a statement. 

He said lawmakers kowtowed to Duterte "by agreeing to seriously limit media freedom in the Philippines."

Duterte had repeatedly threatened to block the renewal of ABS-CBN's franchise.

"This is a black day for media freedom in a country previously regarded as a bastion of press freedom and democracy in the region," Robertson said. -NB, GMA News