Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefABS-CBN, long the leading broadcaster in The Philippines, was Friday denied a bid to win a new franchise.
The company had been forced off air in May in what many critics saw as a move to silence critics of the country’s President Rodrigo Duterte.Since the abrupt decision in May, two of ABS-CBN’s digital channels which were not subject to the same license, were also closed.
There have also been multiple discussions of the matter in Congress.The vote on Friday was the decisive one. And congress decided by a large majority, 70-11, against giving the company a new 25-year franchise.Duterte is understood to have sought revenge against the broadcaster, which has been consistently critical of his shoot to kill.
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