ABS-CBN quo warranto another case of harassment, stifling dissent — rights groups
MANILA, Philippines — Three rights groups slammed Monday the quo warranto petition filed by government lawyers against broadcast giant ABS-CBN Corporation, calling it an attack on press freedom and the fundamental right to dissent.
Commission on Human Rights spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said the move by the Office of the Solicitor General was just the latest in an ongoing trend of intimidation towards critical media, "particularly those that report the gaps, abuses, and incompetence in government efforts and policies."
For his part, Human Rights Watch researcher Carlos Conde in a statement said that the case has "all the indications of political harassment."
This, as human rights alliance Karapatan in a separate statement tagged Solicitor General Jose Calida as “a pathetic lapdog to the whims of Duterte’s political vendetta.”
Rights groups' statements against the petition on Monday evening were just the latest in a tumult of outroar spawned by the petition on numerous fronts, from media groups, academic institutions, lawmakers, and labor unions alike.
'Delay another major concern'
Karapatan pointed out in their statement that the case was "filed merely two months before the expiration of the network’s franchise," calling it "the latest in the Duterte administration’s nefarious machinations to clamp down on dissent and stifle press freedom as it descends further and further towards a full-blown fascist dictatorship."
ABS-CBN Corporation's legislative franchise is set to expire on March 30.
"The delay in tackling the renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise bill is another major concern, especially that Congress only has until 11 March 2020 to discuss the bill," CHR also said in their statement. "We note that the President has expressed his desire to not renew the media company's franchise due to 'personal grievances.'"
Towards the end of 2019, both House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, an outspoken Duterte ally himself, along with Rep. Franz Alvarez (Palawan), who chairs the House committee on legislative franchises, disclosed that the House no longer intended to tackle the matter in 2019.
Both House solons claimed that there was still sufficient time for hearings in 2020. However, the congressional franchise bill will still have to be transmitted to the Senate in the event that it is even passed. And if Congress passes the bill, the president may still veto it.
"[T]his case applies undue pressure on legislators who could be forced to toe the Duterte government’s line against the media company," Conde said. "Already, some legislators have stated that this cause could jeopardize the franchise renewal, which ends March 30."
'Serious repercussions'
Duterte has constantly singled out ABS-CBN, as well as media organizations including The Philippine Daily Inquirer and Rappler, for what he says is their insistence on publishing content that puts him in a bad light.
ABS-CBN, in particular, has long faced the worst of it, as the president has constantly attacked them for what he says was their airing of unflattering political advertisements paid for by his rivals.
As early as 2016, the year Duterte was elected to his position, watchdogs have been saying that the chief executive's tirades against the network were a clear sign of "congressional franchises [being used] as a weapon to control a free press."
“Petty as it may seem, Duterte’s political vendetta has serious repercussions especially in the context of the further narrowing of civic spaces in the country, and they can be often deadly and dangerous especially for human rights defenders, journalists, critics, and anyone who dares to speak up and get in the way of his fascist rule,” Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay said in the statement.
"Political weather and whims should not dictate the fate of ABS-CBN, or any other media network, that serves as a pillar of press freedom and democracy," De Guia said for her part.
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