The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) joins all the democratic forces in the country in condemning the Duterte fascist regime for ordering the closure of ABS-CBN. The closure of ABS-CBN is a brazen attack against press freedom. It was carried out in complete disregard of the crucial role being played by broadcast media during the pandemic.
The order to close ABS-CBN clearly comes from Duterte himself. The NTC, would not have acted without the direct orders of the tyrant himself. The order to shut down the operations of ABS-CBN is part of Duterte’s scheme to establish a fascist dictatorship.
By ordering the closure of ABS-CBN’s operations, Duterte has again established himself as the unquestionable tyrant. With thousands of armed military and police personnel roaming Metro Manila, the media network had little option but to immediately comply with the patently underhanded order.
The ABS-CBN closure is just the most recent measure of fascist repression under the military lockdown. It is inextricably linked to the abuses of power committed daily by military and police forces against the people, where common misdemeanors are punished with brutalities. It also shows the fascist and corrupt priorities of the Duterte regime, which up to now, has failed to conduct systematic and mass testing across the country to determine the real extent of Covid-19 infections in the country.
By ordering the closure of ABS-CBN, Duterte also aims to intimidate the people, as well as big business, by demonstrating what massive evil deeds he is capable of doing. It serves as a warning against anyone who will not comply with the tyrant’s wishes.
Duterte and his minions have long been arm-twisting ABS-CBN. They have been using the franchise extension to demand the media company to bow to the regime’s political agenda, as well as give in to the demands for bribe money. It is also a publicly known secret that Duterte’s constant haranguing of ABS-CBN aims to induce the Lopezes to give up the media company to allow one of Duterte’s cronies to take over ownership and control in behalf of the tyrant and his foreign partners.
Duterte took advantage of the military lockdown to order the closure of ABS-CBN, confident that people will not be able to congregate to denounce the attack and defend media freedom. Duterte, however, was not able to stop thousands upon thousands of people from expressing their disgust at the closure of network. Moments after news of the closure came out, one protest statement after another was posted on the internet and became a trending topic in social media.
Duterte has again succeeded in stoking the people’s clamor for his resignation or ouster. The Party calls on all democratic forces to unite, raise their voices in protest and defy Duterte’s attempts to silence the media.
https://cpp.ph/statement/condemn-duterte-fascist-regime-for-closure-of-abs-cbn/
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