Philippines orders leading TV network to shut down

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine government agency on Tuesday ordered the country’s leading broadcast network, which the president has targeted for its critical news coverage, to halt operations after its congressional franchise expired, sparking shock over the loss of a major news provider during the coronavirus pandemic.

The National Telecommunications Commission ordered ABS-CBN Corp. to stop operating after its 25-year congressional franchise ended Monday.

The network’s application for a renewal has been pending in Congress, which is controlled by President Rodrigo Duterte’s allies, but hearings have been delayed, in part by a coronavirus lockdown.

ABS-CBN, one of the country’s oldest and most influential networks, continued to broadcast on TV and radio for most of Tuesday but later went off the air.

“Millions of Filipinos will lose their source of news and entertainment ... when people need crucial and timely information as the nation deals with the COVID-19 pandemic,” the media giant said in a statement.

Company President Carlo Katigbak appealed to people to let their feelings on the closure be “felt, expressed and heard” for the benefit of the network’s more than 11,000 employees and millions of Filipinos who he said need the network’s services “specially now in the worst time of sickness and hunger.”

Media watchdogs accused Duterte and his government of muzzling independent media like ABS-CBN that have reported critically on issues including the president’s anti-drug crackdown, which has left thousands of mostly poor suspects dead.

Government officials denied the closure was a press freedom issue, insisting that everyone must comply with the law.

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