The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) called on Philippine authorities to grant a new license to the country's leading broadcaster that had been forced off air following a long feud with President Rodrigo Duterte
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th August, 2020) The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) called on Philippine authorities to grant a new license to the country's leading broadcaster that had been forced off air following a long feud with President Rodrigo Duterte.
The IFJ noted that after Philippine lawmakers voted in July against renewing the franchise of ABS-CBN, a public campaign emerged to reinstate its license. The initiative now "needs to gather an estimated 7 million signatures ... and no less than 3 per cent of voters in each congressional district to be able to pass the law of allowing for a new franchise for ABS-CBN," according to the journalistic union.
"IFJ stands with NUJP [National Union of Journalists of the Philippines] to support the initiative to bring back the ABS-CBN. The shutdown of the largest broadcasters amid the global pandemic has blocked access to information for Filipino people. IFJ calls on Filipinos to sign onto this ground-breaking public campaign to put the ABS-CBN back on air," the press release added.
ABS-CBN has long been critical of Duterte. In 2016, it refused to broadcast his campaign advertisements.
