On the day that Rodrigo Duterte's government shut down ABS-CBN, the largest television network in the Philippines in an act of political persecution, it seemed appropriate to relive the last time that a dictatorial Philippine president was cut off the air and brazenly lost control of the media that spewed out baseless state propaganda for fourteen years.
This was the moment that opposition forces gained broadcast control of Channel 4, then known as the Maharlika Broadcasting System (MBS), and abruptly cut off President Marcos mid-sentence as he sought to disprove rumours that he had fled the country. With his wife Imelda and their grandchildren surrounding them, he vowed from the Rizal Hall in Malacanang Palace that he would remain in office. Ironically, Marcos was pulled off the air as he told Filipinos not to believe 'propaganda lies'.
It was surreal for what was left of the Filipino public still bothering to watch him on television desperately cling to power as hundreds of thousands of people packed the streets of Metro Manila in defiance of his regime. The takeover of Channel 4 took place on 24 February 1986, the third day of the People Power Revolution.
However, this is not Marcos' last appearance as president on Philippine television. His last appearance was on RPN-9 the next morning, 25 February, when the network aired his futile swearing-in from the Rizal Hall. This took place hours after Corazon C. Aquino took her oath as the country's first female president at Club Filipino in San Juan. RPN-9 itself would be taken over by opposition forces during the ceremony, with Marcos again cut off on live television as he took the oath before Chief Justice Ramon Aquino.
Marcos, his family, and their associates left the palace that evening, shortly after 21:00 PST and fled the Philippines thereafter.
Decades later, Marcos' protege, Duterte, has taken advantage of the coronavirus crisis to push its anti-democratic agenda. The shutting down of the country's largest news network is an outrageous attack on Philippine democracy. It deserves to be condemned by the entire Filipino people and the international community.
We owe it to posterity.
#NoToABSCBNShutdown #DefendPressFreedom #ABSCBN #Philippines
#Pilipinas #Pilipino #News #ABSCBNFranchise #Duterte #Marcos #FerdinandMarcos #ImeldaMarcos #PressFreedom #KapamilyaNetwork #Kapamilya #RodrigoDuterte #MartialLaw #BatasMilitar
29 авг 2024
