Published May 5, 2021, 3:20 PM
Groups backed ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal exactly a year after it signed off the air on TV and radio after the expiration of its congressional franchise.
Workers of ABS-CBN and members of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines rally to show support for the broadcaster in Manila on May 5, 2020 (AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) shut down ABS-CBN’s free TV and radio operations on May 5, 2020, a day after its franchise was left to expire despite a long-pending renewal application at the House of Representatives.
A month later, NCT served two cease-and-desist orders against the network’s digital broadcast in Metro Manila and its sister company Sky Cable’s direct broadcast satellite service nationwide.
Basilio Sepe/BenarNews
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights marked World Press Freedom day on Monday by demanding that nations respect and protect the rights of journalists, even as advocacy groups urged her to give special attention to abuse of media freedom in Bangladesh.
In a statement, Michelle Bachelet noted that freedom of the press has come under particular attack during the pandemic, when the public is especially in need of information.
“The COVID-19 crisis has made it clearer that critical reporting on government policies or public figures is all too often met with prosecution,” she said. “Laws adopted or applied to restrict and criminalize disinformation during the pandemic have also been used by States to target journalists.
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Perpetrators of journalist killings unscathed, says formerly detained journo
MANILA – In the Philippines, journalists are being attacked while perpetrators of extrajudicial killings go free, laments journalist and recently freed political detainee Lady Ann Salem.
“It is journalists like myself, Maria Ressa, and Frenchie Mae, and our news outfits, and not the perpetrators of journalist killings, political killings, and
tokhang (drug-related) killings, who are made to suffer the weaponization of the law,” said Salem, communications officer of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 3) Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Monday said he will refer the probe into the killing of John Heredia formerly national director of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines to a presidential task force.
“Considering that John Heredia was a journalist, I will refer his case to the Presidential Task Force on Media Security for investigation and case build-up,” said Guevarra when asked if he will recommend that the Inter-Agency Committee created under Administrative Order No. 35 look into the incident. The IAC was created in 2012 to monitor and ensure the speedy resolution of extra judicial killings, enforced or involuntary disappearances, torture, and other grave violations of the right to life, liberty and security of persons.
To evaluate press freedom around the world
To defend the media from attacks on their independence
To pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession
UNESCO said it is also “a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom.”
What’s happening: Last month, the Philippines dipped further in the
World Press Freedom Index of media watchdog Reporters Without Borders.
The country slipped two notches to 136th place out of 180 countries with a score of 46.64, indicating the “difficult situation” of press freedom in the country.
Attacks to the Philippines media, such as the “grotesque judicial harassment” to Rappler and the franchise denial of broadcasting giant ABS-CBN, were traced by the international media watchdog to Duterte.