Tag: editorial

 art by TCHEKY NICOLE D. CABRERA/ THE FLAME ON JULY 10, the House of Representatives shocked the entire nation when 70 of its lawmakers denied ABS-CBN a fresh 25-year franchise. Not only is this move another massive blow on press freedom in the country, but it also shows that there is no place for any critical discourse under Duterte’s administration.  As Filipinos continue to stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, they turn to television, radio, and social media as sources of information and entertainment. With ABS-CBN now off the airwaves, however, people find themselves feeling even more lost and isolated.  House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano contended that the subsequent ABS-CBN shutdown is not at all an issue of press freedom, especially since the media giant continues to a

art by ELLA MARIE MERCADO / THE FLAME THE PEOPLE behind the afternoon shows, the journalists, the general public who depend on news in this time of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and the 11,000 employees at risk of losing their jobs were all dismayed when ABS-CBN went off the air on May 5 following the cease and desist order filed by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) against the broadcast giant. Despite the ongoing health crisis, with 10,004 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 658 deaths nationwide as of May 6, the administration decided to bring ABS-CBN’s operations to a halt. With everyone in their homes due to the enhanced community quarantine that has been in effect since March 17, the general public’s only access to information is the television, radio