Today, the Committee on Legislative Franchise handed down the definite closure of ABS-CBN Corporation, ensuring that 11,000 Filipinos would be deprived of their jobs at a time of financial distress amid a global pandemic.

During this time of pandemic, we rely on the press and media as sources of accurate information as vanguards of truth, but the government has prioritized instead a crackdown on journalists and media outlets, veering away from the addressing the pandemic at hand and taking the opportunity to inflict their personal grievances on the network.

Hi-Lites condemns this evident and imminent attack on press freedom by the government to stifle the vital role of the press. Other lawmakers and government officials have shared the same sentiments: the non-renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise sets a dangerous precedent and sends a chilling effect on other news and media outlets.

No longer a cautionary tale, the definite closure of ABS-CBN is the government’s clear statement that they will exercise everything within their power to stifle and oppress freedoms for their own gain. More than ever, we will continue reporting and upholding the truth. In the service of the Filipino, we will hold the line.