Filipino Bishops denounce
closure of broadcasting network
 |
| Security guards stand outside the headquarters of ABS-CBN network following government orders to cease its operations |
The Bishops of the Philippines speak of freedom of press,
denouncing the government’s closure of the country’s biggest broadcast company.
By Vatican News
In a statement released on Wednesday, Archbishop Socrates
Villegas warned that if freedom of expression and dissent is curtailed, abuse
of human rights will follow suit.
Responding to the government’s decision to shut down the
country’s largest broadcasting network, the Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan and
former head of the country’s Catholic Bishops’ Conference, said that aside from
being a legal issue, the matter also involves “moral and spiritual” aspects
that need attention.
ABS-CBN
On Tuesday the government of the Philippines announced it
would not be renenewing ABS-CBN’s 25-year license.
Founded in 1946, the station has provided the country with
various television and radio channels for over 70 years. With the shutdown, an
estimated 11,000 company employees risk losing their jobs.
Government's disdain
President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed his disdain towards
the television network numerous times since becoming president in 2016. He
claims that ABS-CBN refused to run his political advertisements during the
campaign season - allegations denied by the network. He has also repeatedly threatened
to close down the network for its coverage of the government’s bloody “war on
drugs” that has claimed thousands of life.
In a speech at the House of Representatives on Tuesday,
Congress member Arlene Brosas denounced the order as a "brazen clampdown
of the freedom of the press".
Bishop Villegas reiterated this concern, saying “the
government should be willing to listen to criticisms and opposing views to
improve governance”.
World Communications Day
The decision also comes just as the Church prepares to mark
World Communications Day on Sunday, 24 May. Pope Francis released the
theme for this year’s celebration in January: “That you may tell your
children and grandchildren". Life becomes history. In his message, the
Pope expresses the importance of finding the good in every story and he urges
all those who work in the field of the press to steer away from “false” and
“destructive” news.
In this regard, Bishop Villegas also called on ABS-CBN to
use this moment to critically examine itself and its mission in society and to
always promote wisdom and goodwill.
"Don’t be afraid to criticize," he concluded,
"but do it for the good of all and always based on the truth.”
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