MANILA, Philippines — The quo warranto filed by the Office of Solicitor General against media giant ABS-CBN shows that the country is sliding its way towards authoritarianism, Senator Francis Pangilinan said Tuesday.
“Stacking the government with his supporters, cracking down on the opposition, and silencing the media using all resources at his disposal are indications of the country’s slide into authoritarianism,” Pangilinan said in a statement in a statement a day after Solicitor General Jose Calida appealed to the Supreme Court to halt the ABS-CBN franchise.
The senator cited that when former president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos placed the country under martial law in 1972, critics were detained and ABS-CBN was also shut down.
“Together with the Filipino people, the Liberal Party of the Philippines has been here before. In 1972, when the ousted dictator imposed martial law, he also arrested his critics and shut down major media outfits like ABS-CBN,” Pangilinan said.
With this, Pangilinan asked the public to “come together and resist authoritarianism in all its forms.”
“A nation cannot be governed by way of threats, insults, intimidation, and violence,” he said.
The House of Representatives has yet to start a hearing that would tackle the renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise, which is set to expire by March 20 this year.
There are currently 11 pending bills in the lower chamber that seeks to renew the media giant’s franchise.