A company owned by Philippine billionaire Manuel Villar’s family won two channels previously assigned to ABS-CBN Corp, a former media giant that had in the past come under fire from Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
The Philippine National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said Advanced Media Broadcasting System Inc has the rights to use Channel 2, which is the analogue pair of digital Channel 16. Channel 2 was a primary news source for Filipinos in remote areas.
Duterte had accused ABS-CBN of biased reporting and alleged it had unpaid taxes, which the broadcaster has denied.
The decision to transfer the channels was backed by the Philippine Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Department of Justice and Duterte’s office, the NTC said in a statement.
Villar, a former lawmaker and one-time presidential contender, has built an empire in property and retailing. His son, Mark Villar, ran the Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways for Duterte until he quit to seek a senate seat in May last year.
Manuel Villar’s wife, Cynthia Villar, is an incumbent senator.
ABS-CBN yesterday reported that the Channel 43 broadcast frequency it previously held was awarded by NTC to Sonshine Media Network International led by Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, a friend of Duterte’s.
“We are concerned at the concentration of power in a corporate media landscape already dominated by conglomerates and political clans,” the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said in a statement, adding that there are “dire implications” on the people’s right to relevant information.
In May 2020, ABS-CBN was ordered by the government to shut its free TV and radio stations after its franchise expired, forcing ABS-CBN to air some of its shows on another channel run by Zoe Broadcasting Network Inc, and focus on building its digital and Internet presence.
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