Roque Says PH Far From Martial Law Scenario Following ABS-CBN Shutdown
PH FAR FROM MARTIAL LAW – Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque stated that the Philippines is far from a martial law scenario after the closure of ABS-CBN.
Following the closure of the biggest network in the country, several journalists and rights groups said martial law would be coming up. However, Roque emphasized that this was not the case.
During a press briefing on Thursday, Roque stated:
Bukas po ang mga media outlet bukod lamang po sa ABS-CBN dahil nawalan nga siya ng prangkisa. So sa tingin ko po malayong-malayo tayo sa sitwasyon ng martial law noong 1972
According to a report from ABS-CBN, Bishop Broderick Pabillo criticized the National Telecommunications Commission for their decision to shut down the network. “Nasasakal na kami. The specter of Martial Law is coming up”, Pabillo stated.
Following this, Roque responded saying Malacañang repsects the decision of the bishop. But, he noted that Congress, and the Supreme Court and the others are still open.
As such, Roque stated that the network could still avail of the remedies from Congress or from the courts.
The main argument as to why ABS-CBN was because it failed to have their licence renewed. However, the company had been filing applications for renewal since 2016 to Congress.
Last year, President Rodrigo Duterte also threatened to block ABS-CBN’s renewal. He added that he would see to it that the network would be out. Moreover, he urged the network’s owners to just sell ABS-CBN.
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