Today, Friday, 10 July 2020, PH House of Representatives turned down ABS-CBN Corp’s application for a new 25-year broadcast franchise, by these votes: 70 to Deny and 11 to Renew (Jim Gomez, “Lawmakers Vote To Close Down Philippines' Largest TV Network[1]”).
So I say: Today is PH supPress Freedom Day. The House members voted against Media Freedom, which is paramount – as suggested by the logo of World Press Freedom Day, 03 May 2019: a cellphone[2], meaning to every citizen belongs the exercise of that freedom.
Media freedom is the right of all citizens to use the media they prefer!
Nonetheless: Even if the House voted for a new 25-year contract for ABS-CBN, the problem of media freedom is still there:
I media man Frank A Hilario say:
Media freedom is not that free!
I should know. I have been blogging earnestly since 2007 in millions of words in a hundred blogs. In my blog Creative Thinkering, my tagline is,“ World's creative genius online, most prolific writer of non-fiction. Frank A Hilario[3].”
And if you look at the top of my current blog THiNK Journalism, Digital[4], you will note my long tagline, which explains the name and spells the claim:
True & Helpful & inspiring & Necessary & Kind Journalism, in Digital reality – singly by Frank A Hilario, the world's #1 blogger, Filipino.
And that makes my journalism a world apart! Even if it is concentrated on PH Agriculture under the leadership of Secretary of Agriculture William Dar, who has the poor at heart.
All the other media men (embracing women) of the world go after the Truth – and then stop there. They do not care if the Truth is un-Helpful and/or un-Inspiring and/or un-Necessary and/or un-Kind!
Reboot, not Rubout!
I believe the 70 members of my country’s House of Representatives who voted to deny ABS-CBN a new lease in life were not using their head. They could have sent ABS-CBN to Purgatory, demanding that it pay a king’s ransom for what they believed the TV giant was guilty of – and then voted for Renewal With Conditions.
It is not only the 11,000 plus employees of ABS-CBN that are now denied their media freedom – it is all humans of the Philippines, 100 million plus, including the babies!
ANN of the News Media Association says (Author Not Named, undated, “Press Freedom: Why is it important?”):
Freedom of expression is a universal human right. It is (neither) the prerogative of the politician. Nor is it the privilege of the journalist. In their day-to-day work, journalists are simply exercising every citizen’s right to free speech.
Denying ABS-CBN Corp’s renewal of franchise is denying not only 11,000 Filipinos but all of us Filipinos the right to free speech. When digital media exercises its freedom, it is neither mechanical nor digital; it is in fact a human exercise of that right.
Let Freedom Ring: Reboot, not rubout!@517
[1]https://www.stltoday.com/business/lawmakers-vote-to-close-down-philippines-largest-tv-network/article_bc7463bf-8679-55a0-8413-be3c48356852.html
[2]https://minujusth.unmissions.org/en/secretary-general-%E2%80%93-message-world-press-freedom-day-0
[3]http://creativethinkering.blogspot.com
[4]https://ithinkjournalism.blogspot.com
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