Philippine broadcaster is off the air in Duterte crackdown

MANILA, Philippines — A leading media network in the Philippines was forced off the air Tuesday, making it the first major broadcaster to have met such a fate during President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, which is cracking down on news outlets that have been critical of his leadership.

The government’s telecommunications commission issued ABS-CBN Corp. a cease-and-desist order one day after the media giant’s broadcast franchise, which is granted by Congress, expired.

ABS-CBN said that it would comply with the order.

“Millions of Filipinos will lose their source of news and entertainment when ABS-CBN is ordered to go off the air on TV and radio tonight when people need crucial and timely information as the nation deals with the COVID-19 pandemic,” the company said.

On Tuesday night, the broadcaster wrapped up its programming on one channel with a message that said: “This is ABS-CBN Corp. Channel 2. In the service of the Filipino. Now signing off.”

Critics of Duterte say he has attacked media outlets that have closely documented his brutal war against drug dealers and users that has left thousands of people dead. ABSCBN, along with the Filipino online news site Rappler, have been at the forefront of such coverage, which has helped prompt international rebuke.

Duterte has personally gone after Rappler, arguing that it was partly owned by foreign investors. That campaign appears to have slowed since Rappler’s investors transferred their shares to their Filipino partners.