PHILIPPINES, Manila, February 10, 2020 –– Solicitor General Jose Calida has asked the Supreme Court to revoke the legislative franchise of broadcast giant ABS-CBN. We urge the authorities to stop attacking critical media outlets using legal tactics.

On February 10, the Philippines’ government moved to put an end to the ABS-CBN franchise –– the country's leading broadcast network. The solicitor general of Philippines, Jose Calida, filed a complaint with the country’s highest court accusing ABS-CBN of “highly abusive practices.”

The Coalition has observed the state’s oppression towards any media organization that attempts to go against Duterte and his government’s conduct. In the past, we have noted repeated attacks against our colleague Maria Ressa and her publication Rappler. 

Speaking about ABS-CBN, Calida said: “We want to put an end to what we discovered to be highly abusive practice of ABS-CBN benefiting a greedy few at the expense of millions of its loyal subscribers,” 

He also accused ABS-CBN of “abusing the privilege” given by the state when it launched a pay-per-view channel without necessary legal permission.

The broadcast corporation ABS-CBN has released a statement denying all the allegations against them and stated that they have not violated the law.

“These allegations cited by the Office of the Solicitor General in his press statement are without merit. ABS-CBN complies with all pertinent laws governing its franchise and has secured all necessary government and regulatory approvals for its business operations,” the statement read.

Richard Javad Heydarian, a political scientist and author, said that if the government revokes ABS-CBN’s franchise, the network could still operate, perhaps over the Internet, so this would not likely be a death knell for the company.

We, at The Coalition, condemn the unjustified crackdown on independent media around the world, especially in the Philippines, considering its state’s arbitrary persecution of media outlets like ABS-CBN and Rappler among others. We urge the Philippines' authorities to stop oppressing press freedom and let journalists do their jobs without any fear.

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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ. Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org