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Artists' group decries gov't 'meddling' in 'Ang Probinsyano' plot

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ABS-CBN News

MANILA - The &quot;meddling&quot; of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in the plot of primetime television series &quot;Ang Probinsyano&quot; is an &quot;attack on freedom of expression,&quot; a group of artists said Saturday.Government and police officials have warned that it would file charges against the show&#x27;s producers for portraying some police officials as corrupt and for using the PNP uniform in the show.&quot;These PNP and DILG officials have no right to meddle in the content and direction of mass media and other cultural productions,&quot; the Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) said in a statement.&quot;Their attempts to intervene and dictate the narrative in favor of the PNP are tantamount to censorship and suppression of creative freedom,&quot; the group said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/16/18/dilg-eyes-legal-action-vs-ang-probinsyano-over-plot-use-of-police-uniform">DILG eyes legal action vs &#x27;Ang Probinsyano&#x27; over plot, use of police uniform</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/15/18/pnp-chief-on-ang-probinsyano-plot-show-a-little-respect">PNP Chief on &#x27;Ang Probinsyano&#x27; plot: Show a little respect</a></li></ul>The hit TV series, broadcast on ABS-CBN, carries a disclaimer that it is a work of fiction. In its statement, the group said it was &quot;gravely concerned&quot; about the pronouncements of the PNP and the DILG as these &quot;are laying the grounds for the establishment of a crony media, similar to the days under the fascist Marcos dictatorship.&quot;&quot;This conveys a chilling message to all TV producers, writers, and directors: do not criticize us or cast us in an unflattering light, or risk retaliation in various means,&quot; the statement read.&quot;They should stick to cleaning up their own ranks of real-life destabilizers, human rights violators, and other shady suspect characters if they really want to project an image of credibility to the Filipino people,&quot; it said.CAP urged other artists and cultural workers to stand united against &quot;a renewed wave of assaults&quot; against the industry&#x27;s creative freedom.&quot;We laud and encourage other fellow artists and cultural workers to continue calling out these attacks on freedom of expression, the suppression of truth, and human rights violations,&quot; it said.&quot;Ang Probinsyano&quot; lead actor Coco Martin, who plays the role of a rogue police officer fighting corrupt officials, admitted that he is affected by government&#x27;s feedback.Actress Jasmine Curtis-Smith, on the other hand, expressed her dissent in a tweet, saying &quot;authorities want TV and film to show &#x27;better&#x27; things about them.&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/16/18/coco-inaming-apektado-sa-puna-ng-pnp-chief-sa-ang-probinsyano">Coco, inaming apektado sa puna ng PNP sa &#x27;Ang Probinsyano&#x27;</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/11/16/18/jasmine-curtis-smith-disapproves-of-pnps-concerns-over-ang-probinsyano">Jasmine Curtis Smith disapproves of PNP&#x27;s concerns over &#x27;Ang Probinsyano&#x27;</a></li></ul>

The "meddling" of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in the plot of primetime hit "Ang Probinsyano" is an "attack on freedom of expression," a group of artists said Saturday.

The "meddling" of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in the plot of primetime hit "Ang Probinsyano" is an "attack on freedom of expression," a group of artists said Saturday.