Different youth groups in the country were fearless to condemn the shutdown of ABS-CBN as they consider this more than an issue of an expired franchise, calling on the National Telecommunications Commission to reconsider the order and allow ABS-CBN to return on air.
The Akbyan Youth strongly advised NTC to heed the Senate and the Department of Justice’s recommendations to allow ABS-CBN to operate while its franchise renewal application is still pending.
The group also calls on the government to make their priorities clear and “stop its non-sense politicking that hardly helps the Filipino people.”
The National Alliance of Youth Leaders (NAYLPH), meanwhile, also believes that ABS-CBN’s closure has exposed “inept, abusive, and corrupt governance” and has deprived many of the “freedom of access to information.”
In fact, the Initiative PH stands on the same belief and denounces “this attack on democracy” stating that the administration has “failed to show compassion.”
Other youth groups have emphasized the meaningful service ABS-CBN has been providing the Filipinos, most especially in this time of pandemic, while also highlighting the negative impact of NTC’s cease and desist order (CDO) against ABS-CBN on the lives of the thousands of Kapamilya workers.
The Youth Parliamentarians of Laguna (YPL) recognizes the crucial role ABS-CBN plays as it gives timely news and information about the state of the country during the COVID-19 pandemic and the public service efforts the network is doing to help affected families during the enhanced community quarantine.
According to YPL, NTC’s order against the media company has also put the livelihood of the 11,000 workers of ABS-CBN in jeopardy.
Apart from seeing the network’s closure ill-timed, the Young Filipino Advocates of Critical Thinking (YFACTPH) reiterated that because of the current regime’s “indifference,” the network’s workers are at risk of losing their jobs amid a pandemic. Moreover, YFACTPH stressed how appalled they are that “NTC has chosen to do this in the middle of a pandemic when ABS-CBN has been at the forefront of delivering information on COVID-19.”
The Senate Public Services Committee on Tuesday (May 19) opened its hearing on the franchise renewal of the network, which was ordered by the NTC to go off the air last May 5.
Despite the shutdown and pending franchise renewal, ABS-CBN continues to find ways to serve the public. Through their “Pantawid ng Pag-ibig” campaign, more than 600,000 families affected by the lockdown benefitted from ABS-CBN’s various public service efforts.
The network also recently announced its new line-up of digital shows available on its online platforms, including YouTube and Facebook, to continue bringing joy and relief to the Filipinos at this difficult time.
