President Rodrigo Duterte. AP FILE PHOTO
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP)聽on Friday聽warned President Rodrigo Duterte against threatening to close down media networks.
鈥淧resident Rodrigo Duterte would be well advised to step back across the line he crossed on聽Wednesday,聽April 27, 2017 when he threatened to personally block the renewal聽by Congress聽of broadcast network ABS-CBN鈥檚 franchise,聽and to go after the Philippine Daily Inquirer,鈥� NUJP said in a statement.
NUJP said that while the President has earlier 鈥渃ursed鈥� and criticized media outfits, 鈥渢his is the first time he has openly threatened to shut down a media organization by using alleged offenses that have nothing to do with journalism.鈥�
On Thursday, Duterte threatened to block the renewal of ABS-CBN鈥檚 franchise in 2020 because of his accusation that the network did not air a political advertisement that he already paid for. He also said that he would go after the Prieto family, owner of the Inquirer Group of Companies, because of a property leased in Makati.
搁贰础顿:听President threatens to block franchise of ABS-CBN
鈥淏y issuing such threats, Mr. Duterte is blatantly dangling the powers of the presidency and of the聽state, signaling his willingness to use these to stifle freedom of the press and of expression,鈥� NUJP said.
The group said the President was 鈥渃learly not joking.鈥�
鈥淛ust as he was not joking when he declared human rights and due process anathema to his brand of governance and now, it seems, so are a free and critical media,鈥� NUJP said.
鈥淲hat we do know is the last time a president actually shut down the press,聽it did not end well for him, like it almost always never ends well for tyrants,鈥� the group said, alluding to the late President Ferdinand Marcos.
The NUJP also encouraged media organizations to 鈥渟et aside [their] differences and unite to oppose any and all attempts to silence [them].
鈥淣ot to do so is to seal our doom and to betray our role as the Fourth Estate, the people鈥檚 watchdogs against bad and abusive governance,鈥� it said. IDL/rga