Union alarmed by police monitoring Bacolod Public Plaza protest

The Bacolod City chapter of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines expressed concern over the presence of undercover police officers during their rally at the Bacolod Public Plaza last week.

“Our suspicions were also confirmed by several witnesses who expressed alarm after they realized that the said intelligence officers were secretly monitoring our rally,” said Chapter President Marchel Espina in a statement.

She characterized the action as “intimidation” and “threat to the press.”

The union official presumed law enforcement was deployed as their protest against the probe into ABS-CBN was considered “antigovernment,” which she said, if that were the case, “This is a blatant failure of intelligence.”

Earlier this month, Solicitor General Jose Calida filed a quo warranto petition against ABS-CBN before the Supreme Court based on three grounds: offering pay-per-view services without permit, using the franchise of a company it acquired without congressional approval, and ceding foreign control by issuing

Philippine depositary receipts.

The government official’s complaint accused the network of launching their TV Plus subscription service and Kapamilya Box Office Channel without approval from the National Telecommunications Commission.

“A franchise is a special privilege granted by the state and should be restricted only to entities which faithfully adhere to our Constitution and laws,” he said in a statement.

The network’s franchise is set to expire on March 30./