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'Worst of times': Framers of 1987 Constitution slam timing of halt order vs ABS-CBN

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/news/05/06/20200505-abs-cbn-off-air-gc-5008.jpg"/><figcaption>An elderly couple watch the final airing of TV Patrol moments before ABS-CBN signed off on May 5, 2020. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — Framers of the Philippines&#x27; post-martial law Constitution questioned Wednesday the timing of the government&#x27;s shutdown order against ABS-CBN, at a time when vital information sources are crucial as a defense against a deadly contagion. According to Ed Garcia, Florangel Rosario Braid, Christian Monsod, and Felicitas Arroyo, who all participated in the drafting of the 1987 Constitution, the cease and desist order issued by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) against the media giant &quot;comes at the worst of times.&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/06/20/surge-in-support-for-abs-cbn-franchise-draws-overwhelming-response-on-twitter">Surge in support for ABS-CBN franchise draws overwhelming response on Twitter</a></li></ul>&quot;It comes at a time when we are trying to contain a contagion that has brought our nation down on its knees. Never before did our country need to unify all our citizens where communication is crucial, and unimpeded independent media is vital,&quot; they said.ABS-CBN&#x27;s 25-year license expired on Monday, but officials previously gave assurances the network would be allowed to operate provisionally. But two days before its congressional franchise expired, the Office of the Solicitor General warned the NTC against allowing ABS-CBN to operate via provisional authority.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/03/20/calida-warns-ntc-against-issuing-provisional-authority-to-abs-cbn-affiliates">Calida warns NTC against issuing provisional authority to ABS-CBN, affiliates</a></li></ul>The NTC reneged on its commitment Tuesday, forcing the company with 11,000 workers to go off the air.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/06/20/ntc-under-fire-for-halt-order-vs-abs-cbn">NTC under fire for halt order vs ABS-CBN</a></li></ul>The order for ABS-CBN to stop broadcasting was described as having &quot;shades of martial law&quot; similar to what the network experienced during the regime of dictator Ferdinand Marcos. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/06/20/shades-of-martial-law-ph-universities-blast-abs-cbn-shutdown">&#x27;Shades of martial law&#x27;: PH universities blast ABS-CBN shutdown</a></li></ul>&quot;The turn of events otherwise through the initiative of the Solicitor General is a disservice to our people who are already struggling to survive on a day-to-day basis and look to responsible media to inform their decisions and actions in that regard,&quot; Monsod, et al said.They then urged citizens to express their condemnation against the government&#x27;s move to shut the country&#x27;s leading media network.&quot;We call on the courage our people have shown in the past against repressive rule to express themselves again for the common good,&quot; they said. The network, which reaches millions of Filipinos through its television, radio and online platforms, said it has not violated the law in its 65 years of service.The company&#x27;s franchise expired on May 4, while bills for its franchise renewal, some filed since 2016, continued to languish in Congress.<div>News.abs-cbn.com is the official news website of ABS-CBN Corp. </div>

According to Ed Garcia, Florangel Rosario Braid, Christian Monsod, and Felicitas Arroyo, who all participated in the drafting of the 1987 Constitution, the cease and desist order issued by the National Telecommunications Commission against the media giant "comes at the worst of times."

According to Ed Garcia, Florangel Rosario Braid, Christian Monsod, and Felicitas Arroyo, who all participated in the drafting of the 1987 Constitution, the cease and desist order issued by the National Telecommunications Commission against the media giant "comes at the worst of times."