MANILA, Philippines — ABS-CBN shut down on Tuesday evening its radio and television operations nationwide in compliance with an order from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC),
which had turned its back on a commitment it made to Congress that it would give a provisional license to the broadcast giant.
He cited Republic Act No. 3846, or the Radio Control Law that was last amended in the 1950s, which said “no person, firm, company, association or corporation shall construct, install, establish, or operate a radio station within the Philippine Islands without having first obtained a franchise therefor from the Philippine Legislature.”
It followed President Rodrigo Duterte’s threat to shut the network down over a feud with its owners that supposedly began when the TV network failed to air his advertisements during the 2016 election campaign. “If the NTC chooses to succumb to the pressure of the solicitor general and disregard the commitments they gave under oath, we reserve the right to call them before Congress and explain why they should not be held in contempt,” he warned.
“I want to express my reservations regarding this because at a time of , people need to be informed by reliable sources,” Angara said. “It’s really disappointing.”Sen. Risa Hontiveros said the country needed “more, not fewer voices of a free and responsible media especially in this time of pandemic when our countrymen need right and complete information.”“This is foolishness,” he said.
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