Philippine Broadcast License Denial Sparks Concerns Over Artistic Freedom and Censorship

Philippine legislators have refused to renew the 25-year operating license for major broadcaster ABS-CBN Corp, a network reaching tens of millions. President Rodrigo Duterte, who assumed office in 2016, had long threatened this action, citing the network's failure to air some of his campaign commercials, for which it later apologized. The legislative committee deemed the broadcaster 'undeserving of the grant of legislative franchise.' Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson described the lawmakers' decision to Reuters as 'an astounding display of obsequious behaviour.' This development follows closely the enactment of a new anti-terror law permitting arrests without judicial approval, which critics fear will target Duterte's opponents. In December 2019, Duterte explicitly told ABS-CBN its franchise would end and not be renewed. The network has produced reporting critical of the president's controversial war on drugs. According to a recent ArtReview Asia feature by Marv Recinto, the situation extends beyond press freedom to impact artistic expression, with echoes of suppression from the Marcos era causing national trauma. Artists are increasingly using social media as a refuge from growing censorship. Recinto notes that while the internet has long been an ideological battleground, the closure of ABS-CBN and the anti-terrorism bill significantly raise the stakes in a nation already facing pandemic and government intervention threats.