BY NEIL RAMOS
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ABS-CBN, one of the country’s biggest, more popular TV stations, has been cut off the air by the powers that be.
The matter has been brewing for some time, with no less than President Duterte himself, vowing to see its realization.
Despite the ongoing crisis relating to the continued onslaught of COVID-19, with millions of Filipinos relying on the broadcast giant for information and entertainment, among others, the inevitable ultimately came Tuesday, with the National Telecommunications Communications (NTC) issuing a cease-and-desist order to the network, effectively reneging on an earlier commitment it made to Congress assuring it would give ABS-CBN provisional license pending approval of its franchise renewal.
Notably, it came after Solicitor General Jose Calida, who earlier filed a quo warranto petition to have the network’s franchise revoked, warned the NTC against granting a provisional authority to the broadcaster.
The network went dark just before 8 p.m., after airing its flagship news program, “TV Patrol.” Subsequently, its radio arm, DZMM, went quiet as well.
But ABS-CBN management seemed pragmatic about it all.
It said in a statement, “We trust that the government will decide on our franchise with the best interest of the Filipino people in mind, recognizing ABS-CBN’s role and efforts in providing the latest news and information during these challenging times.”
“ABS-CBN remains committed to being in the service of the Filipino and we will find ways to continue providing meaningful service to them,” it continued.
In any case, ABS-CBN’s online assets will continue to deliver content. These include the video streaming service iWant.
ANC, the ABS-CBN News Channel, will also continue broadcasting.
Star Cinema, the company’s movie arm, will also continue its operation.
