Journos condemn ‘curtailment of press freedom’ with ABS-CBN’s franchise in limbo

Reporters covering the Senate beat have decried moves to close down broadcast network ABS-CBN on "flimsy" grounds, calling it a curtailment of press freedom.

“We, the reporters covering the Senate, condemn the brazen attempts to curtail press freedom and the Filipinos' right to information with the efforts to shut down ABS-CBN on flimsy grounds,” the Senate beat reporters said in a statement on Thursday.

“We also see these attempts as an insult to the intelligence of the Filipino people, who are constantly bombarded with disinformation that the mainstream media has been trying to fight,” they added.

“We stand by our colleagues in ABS-CBN and we will do our utmost to defend them and the freedom of the press, a vital part of a healthy democracy.”

The statement was issued three days after Solicitor General Jose Calida filed a quo warranto petition seeking to revoke the existing franchise of ABS-CBN before the Supreme Court due to ABS-CBN’s alleged foreign ownership in violation of the Constitution by issuing Philippine Depositary Receipts to foreigners broadcasting for a fee and operating a pay-per-view channel in ABS-CBN TV Plus, the KBO Channel, without prior approval or permit from the National Telecommunications Commission; and subsidiary ABS-CBN Convergence, Inc.'s "resorting to an ingenious corporate layering scheme to transfer its franchise without the necessary Congressional approval, among others."

President Rodrigo Duterte has repeatedly threatened to block ABS-CBN's franchise renewal, but Malacañang denies he is behind the Solicitor General's petition against the broadcast network.

Members of the Malacañang Press Corps and journalists covering the Defense beat also called for the renewal of ABS-CBN's franchise and decried attacks on press freedom, while the Justice and Court Reporters Association condemned Calida's singling out one of their own, ABS-CBN reporter Mike Navallo.

ABS-CBN has maintained that it did not violate the law.

Under the law, the Senate cannot act on franchise bills without the House of Representatives approving them first.

The House of Representatives is yet to conduct a public hearing on 11 bills seeking ABS-CBN franchise renewal to this date even if the bills have been filed way back in August 2019.

ABS-CBN’s franchise is set to expire on March 30.

Article 3, Section 4 of Philippine Constitution reads “no law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.” — BM, GMA News