PHILIPPINES: Duterte government shuts down largest TV, radio network

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● The ABS-CBN network’s closure could not have happened without pressure from deep within the government of President Rodrigo Duterte. ● Duterte may only be creating political theater, but there is also the possibility of a miscalculation that could generate real risks for his administration. The country’s telecommunications regulator today ordered ABS-CBN, the country’s largest television and radio network, off the air. On paper, the reason given by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is that the network’s 25-year license, in the form of a congressional fran