CHR: NTC closure order on ABS-CBN aggravates tough life amid COVID-19 crisis

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)’s order to close broadcasting company ABS-CBN pending the media network’s franchise application aggravates the hardship brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission on Human Rights said.

CHR spokesperson and lawyerJacqueline Ann de Guia was referring to the cease and desist order issued by the NTC to ABS-CBN just two days after Solicitor General Jose Calida threatened to file graft charges against NTC officials if it will issue provisional authority to ABS-CBN pending Congress action on its franchise application.

“With the station off the air, we lose another voice that people rely on for critical information on how to protect themselves and their loved ones from the ill-effects of the virus. The information that media delivers to us every day allows every citizen to make critical decisions on their lives and enables them to demand better services, especially from the government,” De Guia said.

“But with jobs affected due to their closure, NTC’s decision also aggravates the struggle for a source of living already experienced by the rest of the nation that came with lockdowns and quarantines. It is ironic that days after we commemorated Labor Day on May 1, workers of ABS-CBN now face the uncertainty of having no means to support themselves, their families, and even fellow Filipinos in this dire time,” she added.

ABS-CBN went off air around 8 p.m. Tuesday in compliance with NTC’s order.

In the same statement, the CHR said the fate of ABS-CBN’s franchise should not depend on whims of politicians, but on existing laws.

“The Commission on Human Rights is deeply concerned  knowing how this move [by NTC] sends a chilling effect on free media and impacts negatively on freedom of expression. We echo our call that political whims should not dictate the fate of ABS-CBN, or any media network, that continues to be an important facet of our democracy,” De Guia said.

“Any alleged violations should be dealt in accordance with the law, and the same protection granted by laws should equally apply to ABS-CBN or any entitry as it should be. We must continue to be vigilant,” she added.

In March, NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba told the House Legislative Franchises panel that the NTC will heed the advice of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and both houses of Congress to allow ABS-CBN to continue broadcasting pending congressional action on 11 pending bills in the House seeking ABS-CBN franchise renewal on the ground of equity since other broadcasting companies in the past were allowed to operate even if their franchise applications have yet to be approved by Congress and enacted into law. — Llanesca T. Panti/RSJ, GMA News