IT HAS been a few days since one of the country's largest media outfits, ABS-CBN, aired its sign-off messages in compliance to the cease and desist order of the National Telecommunications Commission. It is no secret that ABS-CBN has and continues to be given a hard time in securing a renewal of its franchise, with government personalities and groups pointing fingers at one another as to who is responsible for creating this great pressure against the company.
How have you, dear reader, coped with the news of the ABS-CBN closure? What do you think of it? I add my voice to the multitude of others who cry foul against the decision ordering the closure as an attack against the freedom of the press and the rights of our people to information. This happening reminds us of the dark days of Martial Law when the shutdown of all media companies, except for those owned and operated by the government, effectively rendered our people deaf and blind, unable to learn the truths of what the realities in our country have turned into. And because traditional media (in that period when social media did not exist yet) was the only platform for people to voice out their opinions, concerns, and stories, the Filipino people were also essentially turned mute.
The timing of this closure could not be more unfortunate. In the days following Channel 2's last airing of its shows on national radio and television, stories from our fellow Filipinos residing in rural far-flung communities surfaced. ABS-CBN's radio and television programs, it turned out, were their only source of information as the channel's signal was the only one reaching their devices. At this time of the coronavirus pandemic when information is crucial, this development further alienates our already vulnerable and marginalized brothers and sisters.
It is saddening too that it occurred just days after the world celebrated working people on Labor Day. About 11,000 Filipinos depended on the company for their living, including many of our fellow Negrosanons. Now, their work and the various platforms by which they honed and showcased their talents and skills in service of the public are in peril. It is admirable that ABS-CBN assured its employees that their salaries and benefits are secure for at least the next three months. We can only hope it doesn't come to the point when we are forced to ask what happens when the three months are up.
ABS-CBN's closure also serves as a loss of a partner for environmental advocacies and of a platform for the voices of communities suffering from the impacts of destructive and polluting activities. Just this February, for example, we launched a campaign called 'Withdraw from Coal' in the city of San Carlos where we called on Philippine banks funding dirty energy from coal to divest. Representatives of ABS-CBN were there bright and early, along with other diligent men and women of the press. Because of their reporting, more Filipinos got to learn of the terrible plight of coal-affected communities and the role of the finance sector in enabling their suffering.
Today, ABS-CBN is actively seeking to continue its services, including through online means, while working to renew its franchise. For the first time, we are able to watch TV Patrol live on our Facebook timelines.
The crisis we are in calls onto us to stand alongside the press in these efforts. History has proved that unity of the people, powered by love for one another and fueled by disdain for injustice, can work wonders not only in protecting or bringing media outfits back to life, but also in upholding our peoples' right to know the truth and be heard. Let us pray and stand in solidarity for the same to happen this time.