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A billionaire businessman and political fundraiser associated with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has taken control of broadcasting frequencies used by the country’s largest television channels. ABS-CBN before forcing the government to shut down, raising concerns about further eroding media freedom.
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said in a statement on Tuesday that Manuel Villar’s company had been given a “temporary mandate” by the Advanced Media Broadcasting System (AMBS) to operate a digital channel in Metro Manila and conduct a test broadcast through it. Auxiliary analog channel – both used for ABS-CBN news and entertainment sessions.
The authority “has determined its legal, technical and financial qualifications,” the NTC said, adding that Villar’s company has been waiting for a usable frequency of digital television since 2006.
The analogue station, Channel 2, was seen as the flagship channel of ABS-CBN. The NTC said it had been “temporarily assigned” to AMBS to broadcast at the same time until 2023.
Villar, 72, was ranked second in Forbes ’list of the 50 richest Filipinos in 2021 and has a net worth of $ 6.7 billion, mainly from real estate development.
He previously served as Speaker of the House and Speaker of the Senate, and in 2010 ran for president. His wife is a member of the Senate, and his son was Duterte’s secretary of public works until he resigned as senator in October.
It is known that Villar contributed to Duterte’s 2016 presidential campaign, although the amount of the contribution has not been reported.
In a post on social media, journalism professor Danilo Arao of the University of the Philippines described the government’s decision as “shameless” and “anomalous,” while Villar pointed to Duterte’s political ties to the administration.
“The conflict of interest is clear and there is considerable power and influence,” Arao told Al Jazeera on Wednesday.
“Duterte says he disbanded the oligarchy, but he apparently supports the allied oligarchs,” he added.
Arao also pointed out that Villar’s daughter, the current member of Congress, was among those who voted against renewal As a result of the ABS-CBN’s 25-year operating license, the Duterte administration is paving the way for the closure of the canal.
Ed Legaspi, executive director of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance in Bangkok, also wrote in a social media post, “This is great!”
Duterte despises ABS-CBN
Since becoming president in 2016, Dutert has repeatedly expressed his contempt for the television channel that owns one of the wealthiest families in the Philippines.
Dutert said the ABS-CBN had rejected its political announcements during the 2016 campaign season – denying allegations by the network.
He was also outraged by the ABS-CBN over the Duterte war on drugs, which has killed thousands of people.
Duterte threatened often to block network franchise upgrades, while owners suggest they should sell the business to break the deadlock. At the same time, he stressed that the hand-picked leaders in Congress had the freedom to decide on the issue.
Dutert, however, did not accept that for several years he was the mayor of the southern town of Davao while a regional channel of the ABS-CBN broadcast its weekly program regularly.
In a statement to the media on Wednesday, the Philippine National Union of Journalists said it was “concerned” about the latest developments.
This is great! Allied Duterte Villar takes ABS-CBN frequencies with the protection of the palace and d
Department of Justice https://t.co/zmWA2iN1M9– Ed Legaspi (@soiclyst) January 25, 2022
“We are already concerned about the concentration of power in the corporate media landscape dominated by conglomerates and political clans. This has serious consequences for people’s right to important information, especially in times of crisis, “said the NUJP.
Since losing its franchise in 2020, ABS-CBN has continued to offer its news and entertainment programs online, but has had to close most of its broadcast operations in the Philippines. He has also teamed up with other small TV stations to broadcast his shows.
(What do you mean, tied up?)
According to ABS-CBN at least 4,000 people lost their jobs when the network was turned off. The broadcaster had a net loss of at least $ 263.6 million in the same year, which was attributed to a lack of outdoor advertising space. In the first nine months of 2021, it reported an additional net loss of $ 70.3 million.
According to Philippine news, Duterte’s Justice Department also approved the NTC’s final decision to reassign TV frequencies from ABS-CBN to AMBS, although the former TV channel pushed for the reinstatement of the license application for the next Congress.
Villar’s daughter has served as deputy secretary of the Department of Justice, but it is unclear whether she was directly involved in the decision to approve the NTC’s decision.
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